Special
by Mr.Deacon
Summary: AU where Tim Drake is the biological son of Bruce Wayne, conceived through an affair with Janet Drake. Tim was also born with a gift. As he grows up, he grows into the force that binds his family, and their allies, together. Tim Wayne, Meta!Tim
1. Son

**Summary**: Tim is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Janet Drake, and was born a metahuman. Watch how this affects the flow of the DC Universe.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

* * *

For Janet Drake, birth was absolute hell. She made little noise as the doctors moved around her, worried about her composure and silence. Jack is not present. No surprise there. Janet knew that he would never care enough to be present for the birth of a child he knew was not his own. Janet cared not, though. The man had grown very... unsatisfying. Minutes later, she has reduced two of the nurses to tears and the doctors have finally begun aiding in her delivery. She does not make a sound the entire time. She merely waits.

Less than an hour later, she's holding her son in her arms.

He's perfect. His soft cries bring a smile to her face. His face is smooth and when his eyes open, her heart melts when she sees those beautiful blue gems. The shade is so bright that they can in no way be her's or Jack's, confirming his true father. He is so small. So fragile looking.

Perfect.

"Timothy," she murmurs, holding the infant close to her chest. The baby's cries soften as he reaches up to touch his mother's face, calm. Smiling down at him, Janet listened to his soft breathing as she feels the wispy black hair that was sprouting from his head.

Janet is aware of the dark figure looming outside the window, watching the whole thing. The Batman's breath hitches as he makes brief eye contact with his child before Janet moves him so he's snuggled up close to her. Then, she glanced briefly out the window, and her eyes fall upon the father of her child.

Bruce cannot help but smile. It is not a smile of regret. But a smile of gratitude. A thanks for giving her this opportunity.

* * *

Janet looked at Bruce. "Jack's not home."

"I know," Bruce said. "May I see my son?"

Nodding, Janet let her old flame inside. She led him up the stairs to little Timothy's quiet nursery. The two-month old infant is snoozing peacefully in his crib, awakening moments after they enter, as if sensing their arrival. He looks up as his mother stares down at him, when he spots another man standing nearby. He doesn't know this man. He is frightened, and starts whimpering.

Bruce winces when his son makes that noise, and almost steps back, but Janet sends him a look that causes him to sigh and stop.

Janet gently picks up her son, cooing and calming him until his whimpers cease. He rests his head against his mother's shoulder, his eyes still studying the man. Bruce almost laughs. Those eyes are his own, and they hold too much awareness. An intelligence that shouldn't be normal for a baby.

It fills him with pride.

Janet looks at Bruce. "Would you like to hold him?"

Bruce immediately nods, and Janet gently hands Tim to him. Holding his son for the first time is scary for Bruce. He holds Tim in his arms, unsure if he is doing it right or if he might accidentally break him.

Tim just stares, cocking his head curiously. Bruce smiles. "Hey, there, Timmy. I'm your daddy."

Tim's face scrunches in confusion, before he reaches forward to touch the cheek of the man claiming to be his father. Tim's face seems to perk up, and he rests his hand on his father's cheek, giggling cutely. Bruce smiles, bring up his own hand and resting it on his child's. Tim's eyes go droopy soon after, and he lets out a yawn before resting his tired head on his father's shoulder. Bruce smiles as he rubs his son's back gently, rocking him back and forth.

Janet looks at the scene with a smile. The smile fades when she glances at the clock.

"Jack will be home soon."

Bruce sighs, and hands his son back to Janet reluctantly. She and Tim see Bruce off, and as he puts on his jacket, he looks at Janet.

"I'm sorry, Janet."

"I'm not," Janet retorts, squeezing Tim gently in her arms for emphasis.

This makes Bruce smile, and he gets into the limo where Alfred is waiting. The kind old butler gives Janet a wave, and she and Tim watch as the limo disappears down the street.

As Tim watches the man who is is father leave, he starts to cry. As he does, the clear blue sky suddenly darkens, gray clouds masking it completely. Janet looks up as it starts to rain, and she sighs, taking her son back inside.

* * *

Tim is three years old, looking up at his mother. She is the most beautiful thing he's ever known. He is three years old and looking at the man she married. He looks at him with obvious disdain. Tim pays him no mind. His mother always said he wasn't important. Just useful. He cares nothing for him. He only cares for his mommy, his daddy, and Grandpa Alfred.

Janet places her son gently on her leg, looking at him with so much love. "You're special, Timothy. Mommy loves you. So much."

She always says things like that. He isn't sure why. But he likes it.

Later, he winces when his mother and the man she married start yelling at each other. Their fights have been getting more and more frequent. They are about him. He knows because he listens. Ms. Clare, the ever trusting nanny, gently ushers him to his room. He can still hear them yelling. It makes him cry. Outside, it starts to rain again. It always rains when he cries.

His mother says its because he's special.

Soon after, the door to his bedroom slams open. The man who his mother married is standing there, a crazed look in his eye. He is holding a knife. He screams and rushes at him with it.

Tim's eyes grow wide with fear, not because of what the man is doing, but because his mother suddenly jumped in, grabbing the man by the throat with one arm and gripping his wrist with the other.

He takes the knife to her, and Tim screams. Thunder crackles outside, and the window slams open as a gust of wind blows through. The man who married his mother is blown back, his head crashing against the mantelpiece. There is a sickening crack, and blood. The man whom his mother married is lying motionless on the floor.

Tim pays him no mind. He rushes to his mother, whimpering. She is gripping her wound, and when she moves her hand away, there is blood, but nothing fatal. She gives Tim a reassuring smile, and embraces him. Telling him that it will be okay. He sobs into her shoulder as she runs her fingers tenderly through his hair. She orders Clare to call the police.

Batman comes in. There is a knowing look on his face, but he says nothing.

The next day, things were normal once again.

* * *

Batman is running as fast as he can, his lungs burning, his heart hammering in his chest as he rushes through the cold forest. He stops on a small hilltop, looking around, desperate. When his eyes fall upon a small form lying deep in a ditch, he freezes.

"_No_."

He's kneeling down by the form in seconds. He reaches forward, hand shaking, as he touches the woman's face. He turns it so he's looking into her face, and his heart feels like its been stabbed.

"No..." he murmurs, hands trembling as he cradles the bloody, butchered body close to him. So much blood. He cradled the woman as if she were the most fragile thing in the world. "Janet..."

The forest echoes with the howls of wolves and Batman's screams of fury and sorrow, cursing a thousand years of suffering upon whoever did this.

* * *

Tim sits in the GCPD building. The insesitive cops question him without remorse, pity present in the eyes of those that actually had hearts. The one man, Commissioner Gordon, offered him hot chocolate. Tim didn't drink it. He just held it in his hands. His eyes were puffy and red from all the crying, and there were still tears spilling from his eyes.

His mother was gone.

"Tim?"

Tim looked up, eye wide. "Daddy?"

Bruce, clad in his best suit, smiles as he kneels down to look at his baby boy. "Yes. I'm going to take you home."

Tim sobs, throwing himself into his father's embrace. He cries as Alfred drives him and his father to the manor. He cries as his father rocks him to sleep.

All the while, rain falls down hard all over Gotham, bringing with it a feeling of anguish that is felt by everyone, even the lowlifes prowling its streets.

* * *

**This story borrows elements from the Young Justice TV series and the comics. Drop a review to let me know what you thought of it, and whether or not I should continue.**


	2. Dick

**Summary**: Tim is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Janet Drake, and was born a metahuman. Watch how this affects the flow of the DC Universe.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

* * *

Tim's first few days at the manor are scary. He had visited it multiple times before for the few visits he had been allowed, but now that he was living there full time, it felt big. Too big. He got lost on more than a few occasions. It frightened him. There were occasions that Bruce or Alfred would find him wondering the halls late at night, confused and unsure of where to go.

Thankfully, Tim adapts in less than a month. Bruce puts as much effort as he can in juggling his responsibilities as a father, and responsibilities as a vigilante. He wants to be the father Timmy deserves.

Janet always said Tim was special, and for a while, Bruce always assumed she was referring to his intelligence. Despite his age, Tim's intelligence was near-profound. His awareness and problem solving prowess were so impressive that it was almost scary. As time passes, Bruce develops a new schedule. Batman is how he spends his nights, and during the day, when he's not parading around Gotham as Brucie, he is at home with his boy, playing board games, chess, and having pancakes twice every week, courtesy of Alfred.

One night, Tim awakens from a nightmare, terrified. The moment he springs up, there is a flash of lightning and crackle of thunder outside. It is pouring rain. The intensity of the storm seems to rise the more agitated Tim gets. The waters beneath the cliff upon which the manor is seated pick up as the winds grow stronger. He springs out of bed, wearing an oversized t-shirt that reached all the way down to his knees. He scampered silently out of his room and through the dark hall of the manor, instinctively heading towards his father's bedroom. He is distraught when he finds it empty, the bed still made. He searches the house frantically. Attic, closets, kitchen, library, study, foyer, living room. All empty. Soon, Tim is shivering violently, weeping as the rain striking the roof of the manor intensifies to bullet-like precision.

"Master Timothy?"

Tim turns abruptly, facing Alfred, clad in his own night clothes and hat, gripping a candlestick in his hand to give some light. "Young master, what is wrong? It's well past your bedtime."

As Alfred comes closer, the light from the candle shines on Tim's face, and Alfred's face softens when he sees the tears. He kneels down. "Hard time sleeping, Master Timothy?"

Tim nods, tears still pouring. "I-I can't find daddy. *hic* Where's daddy?"

Alfred sighed. "Your father has been delayed. He will be home shortly."

This seemed to calm Tim. At that moment, the rain outside lessened. Moments before, it sounded as though rocks were pelting the roof, now it was calm and soft. Alfred glanced up at the skylight, cocking an eyebrow in confusion before shrugging it off. He stands, offering Tim a hand.

"How about I get you some milk and cookies, then we get you back to bed? I promise your father will be here when you wake up in the morning."

Tim doesn't seem so sure, but he nods, sniffling and wiping away the last few tears. He takes Alfred's hand, and they do everything he suggested before Tim returned to his room to embrace sleep.

Bruce was there when he awoke.

* * *

Bruce exits the kitchen, carrying two plates of eggs and bacon for him and his four year-old son while they watch Saturday morning cartoons. He halts when he sees Tim seated criss-cross on the floor, cocking his head at the television. The news is on, Batman's battle with Poison Ivy playing.

He walks over to the couch, setting the plate down. Tim looks back, his big blue eyes gazing curiously at his father, before going back to the TV.

Bruce cocks an eyebrow. "Timmy?"

Tim looks back at his father. "Daddy? Why are you on TV dressed like a bat?"

* * *

Tim's first Christmas at the manor was enjoyable. Better than those he had when he had lived with his mother and the man she had married. Except for one detail. No snow. A heat wave had struck Gotham, making this the first Christmas without snow in many decades. Bruce did his best to make his baby seem less solemn, and Tim was satisfied. Many presents and toys, more than which Tim knew what do do with, and lots of love from his father.

Then, around ten p.m., Tim is dressed in his pajamas while Alfred was cleaning up all of the wrapping paper. He steps out into the front grounds, gazing up at the sky. His eyes droop. Clear skies. No clouds. Not even a cool breeze.

Tim looks down, longing for snow, the opportunity to build a snowman with his father...

Suddenly, the air chilled, and Tim blinked. He could see his breath. He looked up, the light from the moon disappearing as dark clouds seemed to magically appear and blacken the skies. Then, whisps of white began falling gently from the heavens to the ground, coating the surface in white. Tim gave a smile, lifting his hand up to catch some of the falling pieces of ice, feeling them in his hand.

"Timmy!" Bruce said, coming outside and scooping his son up. "What are you doing out here dressed like this? You could catch a cold."

His scolding is light, and Tim still smiles as he looks up at the sky. As Bruce takes him upstairs for bed, Alfred remains behind looking at the snowfall curiously.

Strange. The forecast had been so certain of clear skies.

* * *

When Bruce took Tim to Haley's Circus, he had hoped to give Tim an enjoyable experience. Tim had blushed when Bruce picked him up out of his car seat and carried him into the circus grounds. Bruce had introduced him to the Flying Graysons, the star attraction. They were warm and wonderful people. Their son Dick seemed to love Tim who stared up at him with awe. When the picture was taken Tim was sitting on Dick's knee, Tim looked so happy. He was practically bouncing in his seat when the show finally started.

But when the Graysons prepared to do their act, that was where everything fell. Literally. Bruce pulled Tim into his arms and covered his eyes as soon as he saw that the Graysons were going to fall. His unwillingness to expose Tim to that kind of trauma spared Tim the shock of witnessing the Graysons deaths, but it didn't save their own son. As the crowd ran from the tent, feet splashing in the mud as rain mysteriously began to fall, Tim, clinging to Bruce's shirt, pointed at Dick. The poor boy was still up on his perch, looking down at his parents' fallen forms in obvious shock.

"Help him. Please."

Bruce pressed a kiss against Tim's forehead before passing him to Alfred who held Tim, nodding his promise.

* * *

Bruce finds Dick sitting by the window, watching the rain fall.

"Dick?"

Dick turns to Bruce, his eyes red from tears. Bruce instantly cradles the small body to his chest.

"I can't replace your parents. But I can give you a home, and be your family if you want me."

Dick chokes on a sob, and then jumps when a small hand grips his own gently. He lookst there, o TIm's eyes, as the boy is suddenly just there, and Dick's heart nearly melts when Tim gives him a shy, but warm smile.

Dick scoops Tim up, and Bruce hugs both his boys.

Dick falls asleep with Tim secured in his arms like a teddy bear.

* * *

Dick's adjustment to life in the manor was slow, like Tim's, but with support from his adopted father, brother, and grandfather figure, Dick metamorphosises into a sad little boy into a blooming lower reaching out to the sun. He is patient and kind and giving, and he loves Tim dearly like a brother should.

One day, after returning from one of his press conferences, Bruce finds Dick and Tim in the later's bedroom, playing with Tim's toys. Bruce had spoiled the boy, not emotionally, but he had overloaded him with many toys that would make any child happy.

Dick looked up at Bruce, smiling. "You want to play with us?"

Tim's hopeful eyes made Bruce smile, and he sat down on the ground next to the two boys. Dick's wild imagination made Tim giggle and clap, and Bruce found himself laughing with his son as he gave him a piggyback ride. Eventually, Tim ended up curled up in Bruce's lap while Dick cuddled along his side, still telling stories to Tim as Tim's eyes drooped and then shut.

And all the while, the sun shined throughout the day, contradicting the weather man's predictions of stormy weather.

* * *

Dick stared at his brand new uniform.

He had worn it before, in the circus and during his training with Bruce for the past year. Now, he would be wearing it on patrol. For the first time. As Robin. Dick's stomach was so full of butterflies that he'd had a horrible time eating dinner. Alfred insisted on packing some snacks for them in the Batmobile, which Dick was grateful for.

Unfortunately for Dick, Bruce was against the scaled panties that Dick had originally been adamant on keeping. Given what Gotham was like at night, his revealing speedos would attract unwanted attention. So, Dick was forced to use simple trousers instead. Oh, well. At least the cape was still there.

When he put on the suit, he looked at himself in the mirror, doing a prideful pose. He blinked when he felt a small tug on his cape, and looked down to see Tim, looking up at him with those big blue eyes and clutching the stuffed giraffe Dick got him for Christmas last year.

"Be safe." Tim said, his voice small and full of worry. "Please."

Dick just smiled and scooped his little brother up. "I will. Promise."

He kissed Tim on the head, making the little boy giggle, before putting him down. Tim and Alfred watched Dick and Bruce leave in the Batmobile, Tim waving goodbye.

When Dick and Bruce returned three hours later, Dick was pooped. Patrol had been exciting and fun, but now he was exhausted, and had school tomorrow. After changing out of his uniform, he hugged Bruce goodnight and went to his room.

He paused in the doorway, finding Tim snuggle up under his covers, the giraffe squeezed in his arms as he slept peacefully.

Dick smiled, climbing into bed with his brother, who immediately cuddled up to Dick. Dick giggled a little. It was adorable and sweet. Dick wrapped his arms around Tim before letting himself fall asleep at last.

* * *

**Glad some of you like this. By now you've all probably figured out what Tim's powers are. How he got them will be explained much later. Meanwhile, the next few chapters will be showing Tim's childhood before he becomes a vigilante. He obviously won't be Robin, given his abilities. You can offer some suggestions as to what he should be named, and if you have anything you'd like to see in these next few chapters, feel free to share.**

**For those of you who are interested, I have yet to decide who Tim will be paired with, so I'll let you vote on what you prefer.**


	3. She

**Summary**: Tim is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Janet Drake, and was born a metahuman. Watch how this affects the flow of the DC Universe.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

* * *

Janet huffs, eyes swollen and almost shut as she wanders the darkened streets of Gotham. The seven year old girl could feel the winter air biting into her damaged side and turning her blood into dark red shrapnel pulling and cutting at her skin, making each and every step and agonizing process.

It didn't matter, however. The pain, the hunger, the way her bare feet were slowly losing color. She was free. Free from _their_ restrictions. Their insane ideals. Plans. All of it. No more suffering. No more watching others suffer. She was free. If she was to die out here, at least it would be far away from _them_.

She smiles as she lets herself fall into the snowy pathway of a house, resting against a mailbox and letting the cold soak her into near unconsciousness.

Suddenly, there are warm fingers preventing her numbness, trailing over her hair. She shudders from the sudden warmth. It is unexpected. A hand rests on her neck, feeling her pulse.

"You're okay," a voice says. It's a boy's, a young boy's. Janet cracks her eye open, and stares at the boy carefully pressing an expensive looking sweater into her wounded side.

He smiles as her. "Hi. I'm Bruce."

"I..." Janet says, struggling to find her words. "Janet. I'm Janet."

Hours later, she lays in a hospital bed and stares at the boy's blue eyes. He visits her every day she stays, and they talk, developing a friendship Janet never got to have while in _their_ care. Days pass. No one is able to find any record on Janet's past life. She tells them nothing, faking ignorance to a remarkable degree. Only Bruce seems to know she is not telling the truth, but says nothing. She lies, yes. But not for her own gain. For the protection of others. Protection from _them_.

Soon, a couple comes in. The Bouchards. They are friends of the Waynes, Bruce tells her. A kind, high-class couple who always wanted children of their own, but could not have them. So they wanted to adopt her. She looks at Bruce. He nods. She looks at them, and agrees.

They give her the happiest years of her life.

* * *

Bruce and Janet play tag in the yard of Wayne Manor. They laugh as Janet, who is it, pursues Bruce through the yard. Bruce evades Janet, hiding in the greenhouse. He can hear Janet gaining, so he looks around for a hiding spot.

He spots the well. The well his mother always advised him to stay away from.

Thinking nothing of the consequences, he opens the well, and climbs inside. He supports his feet on a few loose bricks sticking out from the sides of the well's interior. He watches for Janet.

It is then that he feels the bricks creak, and he reacts to late. He lets out a scream as he falls into the well.

He hits the ground. There is a loud, wet crack. Bruce screams in agony as his leg is broken from the fall. He can hear Janet up above calling his name.

"Bruce?"

He sees Janet's face looking at him through the well.

"I'll go get help!"

She leaves him, and he doesn't stop her. He trusts her. He tries to move his leg, and it causes him pain. He cries out, and his scream echoes through the well and into a cave behind him. He hears movement. He turns slowly, and his eyes widen as he sees the bats.

They swarm over him, hissing, shrieking, and flapping their wings around. The assortment of noise frightens Bruce, who curls up into a ball.

The noise lasts for several minutes, before the bats make a different sound. Sounds of distress. Bruce peaks out at the swarm, and his eyes widen when he sees something incredible.

A sphere of beautiful white light is floating above him, lighting up the dark well. The bats screech in distress as the light blinds them, and they all retreat back into the darkness.

The light flies up whisp-like to the top of the well, and Bruce watches as it flies into Janet's open palm, fading into her skin. She smiles at him.

"Your father is on his way."

Moments later, Bruce hears the sound of his father's worried voice, and he soon finds himself being lifted out of the well.

Hours later, he is in the hospital with Janet by his side. They just stare at each other in silence.

Neither of them speak of what happened to anyone.

* * *

Janet holds Bruce's hand as Thomas and Martha Wayne are lowered to the ground, both dressed in black. Alfred is resting a hand on Bruce's shoulder as tears slide silently down the boy's cheeks.

Reporters are not allowed at the funeral, but they are all waiting for them outside of the chapel, ready to snap a picture of the new Wayne millionaire.

They all heard the story, and Bruce wants to kill them all, just like he wants to follow the man that stole his parents from him and rip him apart.

Janet tugs his hand gently, guides him to the other side of the chapel to sit in an abandoned bus stop.

"Talk to me," she begs, his hands wiping Bruce's tears. "Please."

"I'm going to kill that man," Bruce whispers, his hands clenching until his knuckles turn white and there is a faint trail of blood spilling from his palms. Janet wraps her arms around him and forces his head to rest on her slender shoulder, shaking.

"Don't, please don't."

"He killed them, he took them from me."

Janet shushes Bruce gently, and Bruce takes a breath as her hand touches Bruce's cheek. An intense warmth washes through his body. Janet's gift, as she calls it. He feels his emotions calming, his rage quelling.

"You won't be better than him," Janet scolds, her pale pink lips twisting into a scowl.

"But he deserves it!" Bruce protests, struggling with Janet's embrace. If he wanted to, he would easily release himself from the girl's hold, the girl whom he has confided in since the day he first found her wandering the streets. But he can't. He can never raise a hand to her. She's too... too perfect. Too special.

"But you don't deserve to darken your soul," Janet whispers. "Your parents wouldn't want you to take that road."

"I want justice," Bruce whispers, his arms coming around Janet's back.

"Then get justice," Janet soothes. "But don't sink to their level."

Alfred appears besides them, eyes dull with sorrow, and wraps them both in a tight embrace.

"Let's go back home, Master Bruce," he says, his usually stoic voice cracking. "Miss Janet, I assume you will be joining us again?"

Janet gives a warm smile. "Always, Alfred."

* * *

Bruce stares at Janet. She has changed so much since they last saw each other. She is... beautiful. Perfect. So, so perfect.

She smiled at him. "I knew you'd come back."

Bruce smiled, taking her hand in his. "Of course you did. I would have come back sooner but... my teacher didn't really take my refusal lightly."

Janet chuckled. "You haven't changed a bit."

Bruce wants to embrace her, and kiss her deeply, but he doesn't. Because he notices the ring on her finger. Janet follows his gaze, and sighs.

Bruce's lips thin. "Drake?"

Janet smiles apologetically, and nods.

"Do you love him?"

Janet makes a face at the mere idea of that. "No."

Bruce takes a deep breath and nods, relieved a great deal. "Would you like to... get some coffee?"

Janet chuckles. Of all the things Bruce could have suggested. Better than nothing, she supposed. They leave Wayne Manor, hand in hand, while Alfred, who was dusting the mansion's antiquities, smiled.

* * *

Bruce looked at Janet's grave, face emotionless. Tim and Dick stood at his sides, Tim holding a bouquet of flowers. Janet's grave is placed in between those of her adopted parents, just as she requested. Tim looks up at his father, who nods. Timmy walks up to his mother's grave, and places the flowers on the dirt. Dick pulls him into a hug, and Bruce hugs the two in return.

Tim is quiet the whole ride back to the manor, leaning his head on Bruce's shoulder.

Bruce gently rubs Tim's shoulder, lulling the child to sleep. As Tim's breathing turns to soft snores, Bruce smiles.

Janet may be gone, but she still exists in their child.

* * *

**This chapter was mainly written in response to a review left by ****Daziy is SoniQ, and was meant to explore the relationship between Bruce and Janet. I didn't reveal all of it, just how they met. Janet's backstory ties in deeply to the development of this story and the rest will be revealed in time. To answer it simply, their relationship mirrors that of Bruce and Rachel Dawes from the Nolan trilogy, though on a much deeper, more emotional scale.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading. Post a review and share your thoughts on this. Next chapter, Jason is introduced :)**


	4. Acceptance

**Summary**: Tim is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Janet Drake, and was born a metahuman. Watch how this affects the flow of the DC Universe.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

* * *

Tim wasn't clueless. He knew very well of his own gift. For much of the time she had been in his life, his mother always called him special, for she also had a gift. Like her, Tim could control certain things. However, they weren't the same things his mother could control. He could control his environment. Elements and tempests. She... Tim wasn't quite sure what she could control. But she always seemed to be able to make others calm with ease, and happy. Among other things. She always expressed pride over his gift, but the man whom she married did not. In fact, he reacted with fear. The moment he found out about his mother's gift, he was fearful. And hateful. So very hateful.

Not that Tim cared for the man's opinions.

But he did, however, care for his father's opinions.

Tim was in a loop. He suspected his daddy knew, being Batman and all, but at the same time he feared confronting him with it. As Batman, his daddy had a thing against metas or powered people in Gotham, as their presence would impose any kind of authority he would have as Gotham's protector. Tim didn't want to be disallowed.

He leaves it alone for a while, learning to better control his emotions. He tends to loose control of his gift when his emotions flare. In particular, fear and sadness.

One day, he hears Dick pestering Bruce on wanting to go to the zoo. Bruce is ready to agree, but the morning they are ready to depart, its raining.

Dick is downtrodden.

Tim wants to help.

He squints at the windy, cloudy sky, and seconds pass before the clouds dissipate completely, the storm ceasing. Sunshine and blue sky fill Gotham.

Dick is ecstatic, and as he skips merrily out to the limmo, Bruce gently places his hand on Tim's shoulder. Tim looks up at his father with curious eyes.

Bruce smiles. "You have a wonderful gift. Your mother would be proud."

Tim's relieved and joyful expression warms Bruce's heart, and the pair walk hand in hand to the limo.

* * *

"Hey, whatcha doing?" Dick asked one day.

It was summer vacation, and Dick was finally free from school for the next three months. For now, though, he had been bored and went off in search of his little brother. He found Timmy out in the garden, sitting comfortably on a stone bench with a book in his hand.

Tim smiled up at Dick. "Watering the planets."

"Oh," Dick said. "Why?"

"Because Alfred wanted me to."

"Oh. Okay," Dick said, and looked around at the garden. That was a lot of flowers for just one kid to take care of. "Do you need some help? Cuz I think Alfred's got more watering cans in the shed-"

"No thanks," Tim said, smiling. "I can handle it."

Dick watched as the five year-old looked up at the sky, and Dick resisted jumping back when the blue of Tim's eyes actually started glowing. Dick blinked then as the sun, which had been shining brightly, vanished as a cascade of dark clouds just suddenly materialized up in the sky. Dick gazed upward in wonder, and when it started raining, Dick realized that none of it was falling on them. Slowly, Dick stuck his hand out to the side. Not a single droplet of rain, not a single speck of water. Not a single thing, yet it was pouring around them, drenching everything else, namely the flowers. A perfect circle around him and Tim. The ground as dry as it was before it began to rain. It was as if someone had placed a cylinder on the top of them, nothing penetrating the barriers.

"What... how...?" Dick stuttered.

Tim, meanwhile, smiled and blinked his eyes a few times. The rain stopped immediately, and the skies cleared up, the sun shining on the garden.

"All done."

Dick's head snapped to Tim, who cocked his head curiously at the look his big brother was giving him.

Dick immediately spun towards the manor and ran inside, screaming, "BRUUUUCE!"

Tim just watched him leave, and shrugged. He picked up his book, and lounged back on the bench comfortably, starting his reading.

* * *

Bruce was in his office doing paperwork, signing a deal with LexCorp, when it started raining. He gave a chuckle when it stopped only a few moments later.

"BRUUUUCE!"

Bruce sighed at the call of his eldest son. Dick had been living at the manor for a little over a year now, and he knew he'd have to explain this at some point. It took a lot longer than he expected, though.

He looks up from his desk. "Yes, Dick?"

The child is vibrating with both fear and confusion. "TimmadeitrainbutIdunnohow, hewasjustsittingandthenhiseyesmaderainbutwedidn'tgetwetsoI-"

Bruce puts his hand up. "It's okay, Dick. Tim was just using his gift."

"Gift?" Dick squawked. "What gift? You knew he could do that?"

"We were meaning to tell you," Bruce began. "But it took some time for Tim to come to me with it in the first place. Tim is special, and I'm not just saying that because I love him, but he's special because he has a gift. He's a metahuman."

"What?" Dick said, blinking. He knew about Bruce's rule against powered people in Gotham. He didn't want Tim to be sent away! "But... your rule..."

"He's my son," Bruce said firmly. "Rules don't apply to family. As long as he doesn't use his gift to interfere with patrol, I could care less. He's still very young and inexperienced. Not at all like his mother was."

"His mother?" Dick said, both surprised by the revelation and the fact that Bruce even brought up Tim's mom. Janet Drake was a rarely spoken topic here at the manor, and Dick only saw a few pictures of her. He wasn't going to lie. The woman was breathtaking. She had a gentle visage that displayed so much maturity and wisdom that Dick blushed just by looking at the pictures. Bruce always spoke so highly of her, so much that for a while, Dick presumed she was some sort of mythical creature capable of turning water to wine and walking on water.

Bruce had loved her dearly. That much Dick could see.

Bruce nodded. "Janet wasn't born in Gotham. She was adopted. She came from a line of people who were born with gifts. But she didn't trust these people, so she left and came here. That's how we met."

Dick nodded slowly, processing this. "What was her gift?"

Bruce gave a deep breath. "She could... I can't totally describe it. She could bend light to a degree, but that was only part of it. When she touched you, she could make all your anger and sadness just vanish. The calmest I ever felt as a child was when I was around her."

Dick saw that Bruce was getting distant. He knew that look. It was the look he got when he didn't really want to dwell in the subject, so he decided to drop it for now.

"So, he can make rain?"

"Rain, sleet, snow, hail, wind. Even lightning." Bruce listed off. "And that's just what I've seen."

Dick furrowed his brows. "So, on the day we went to the zoo..."

"Yep."

"And the snow day after we stopped Bane..."

"Yep."

"And the false tornado warning..."

"Yep."

Dick was speechless for a few moments, before a splitting grin formed on his face. "That is totally aster! That means we can get snow days whenever we want right?"

Bruce gave Dick a pointed look, and Dick pouted. "Fine. But still, my brother can control weather! I can't wait to tell Wally..."

"Dick," Bruce stopped him. "I'm happy you're accepting of this, but I'm not ready for our friends to know about this yet. Tim needed a lot of love when I finally got custody of him. His stepfather was the type of person who was afraid of the unknown, and everything about Tim's powers can be considered unknown. If we're going to tell anyone else, it will need to be on his consent. Understand?"

Dick's expression turned soft, and he nodded.

"Good," Bruce said with a smile. "Now, go get your brother. We're going to Metropolis for a board meeting."

"Sweet!" Dick said as he bounced out.

Bruce suppressed a chuckle.

* * *

Dick and Tim were practicing gymnastics together in the Batcave while Bruce was out on patrol. Today, Bruce had decided to bench Dick because both the Joker and Ra's al Ghul were out tonight, and being Batman's most dangeorus adversaries, he didn't want to put his son in that level of danger.

Fortunately, time spent with his little brother was a good substitute.

Dick and Tim both did handstands on the balance beam, and Dick smirked, reaching one hand out and tickling Tim's exposed stomach when his shirt slid down to reveal his stomach. Tim squealed and swatted at Dick's hand, losing his balance. But in a split second, Dick snatched Tim in midair and did a backflip, landing perfectly on his feet in the middle of the beam.

"Gotcha!" he said as he landed, and poked Tim's nose.

Tim made a face and snapped at Dick's finger, earning a laugh from the eleven year-old vigilante.

He hops down from the beam when the noise of the Batmobile (the name Dick having come up with on one of his earlier patrols having stuck, much to Bruce's chagrin) filled the cave. Tim in his arms, Dick went up to greet their father, but whatever cheerful thing he was going to say never came as Batman emerged from the Batmobile leading a small boy whose wrists were tied behind his back.

The child was dirty and dressed in ragged street close, and he looked close to Tim's age, maybe a few years older. Like Bruce, Tim and Dick, he had dark raven hair, but instead of blue eyes he had green.

He grumbled as Batman led him to the other two boys, and when he actually noticed them, he blinked in surprise.

"Boys," Bruce said. "Meet Jason. He'll be staying with us for a while."

Jason was about to snap at Batman that he was dragged here against his will, but instead gave an indignant 'Hey!' when the youngest Wayne child sprung from his older brother's arms and wrapped his arms around Jason's waste in a hug.

Tim smiled up at Jason with sparkling, doe-like eyes that made whatever Jason was going to say die in his throat. "Hi."

Jason inwardly cursed. That's the last time he tries to nab the tires off someone's car.

* * *

**Short, yes. Next chapter will be all about Jason fitting in, and will hopefully be longer. Meanwhile, here are the pairings people have suggested.**

**Kon/Tim**: 2

**Tim/Steph**: 1

**Son of Whitebeard: will damian be in this story at all?**

Yes. And maybe he'll be less of a little arsehole towards Tim this time...

**Daziy is Soniq: ****Awww, thank you very much! I didn't expect to have a chapter written because of me! You're very good, though, very good that while answering my questions, you made me ask more. So Janet's also a meta? Who is this 'them' Janet escaped from? Who exactly is Mr Drake? And why did Janet marry him? Can't wait for the next chapter!**

**Oh, and I just realised something from the first chapter, Tim automatically called Bruce 'dad' in a public place, and no one ask why. Did Drake also knew who is the father of his wife's son?**

The answer to each of those questions is quite fascinating. I hope you'll be satisfied when you find out what they are. I can answer a few regarding Mr. Drake. First off, he's Jack Drake. Like in the comics, except like I've said he is NOT Tim's biological father. Why he and Janet got married? Money. No love. Sad I know. And as for people knowing Bruce is Tim's father? It wasn't really a secret. I had tried to make that apparent in the very first chapter. Must not have doen a very good job at it. Oh well. And yes, his dad knew. It was another reason why he kind of resented Tim's presence in his life.

**Thank you for reading and reviewing. Feel free to put in more reviews and let me know what you thought.**


	5. Jason

**Summary**: Tim is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Janet Drake, and was born a metahuman. Watch how this affects the flow of the DC Universe.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

* * *

The scary part for Jason was that it all happened so damned fast. One minute he was boosting tires to get enough cash to survive the night and the next he had somehow become the adopted son of part-time billionaire and part-time vigilante, with a big and little brother as bonus. His adoption into the Wayne household had been swift, and Jason was on the cover of numerous Gotham tabloids. Damn reporters.

I mean seriously? What the fuck?

Jason shook his head to clear it so that he could focus on what he was doing instead of on the shock of everything that had happened over the last couple of days. A new home, a new family unlike any of the foster families he'd been dumped in, cameras going off in his face almost every time he went out in public.

But, he supposed he could get over that. Despite their peculiarities, the Wayne family was... nice.

Bruce was a growl-prone version of the father he never had, always vigilant and protective. Plus, he was fucking Batman! Already he was teaching Jason self-defense lessons in case he ran into trouble. Jason liked Alfred. I mean seriously, what was not the like. The old geezer was always kind and cooked the greatest meals Jason ever had. Dick (seriously, who in the right mind would go around calling himself Dick?), on the other hand, fit the very definition of annoying older brother. The guy enjoyed giving out hugs way to much and was always so cheerful. It irritated Jason sometimes. But, Dick's cheerfulness was a defining attribute, and Jason felt like he looked up to him at times. Dick was trying to convince Bruce to start training Jason to be a junior vigilante like him. Bruce had yet to share his opinion.

And then, there was Tim.

Tim was, in every sense, an angel. Like the epitome of sweetness and innocence. Seriously, no human being should be that adorable! Yet somehow, Tim was able to win the hearts of anyone first glance. Those big blue eyes always shone brightly with curiosity, and the boy himself was as quiet as a mouse. Plus, he was super sneaky. Several times since he first arrived in the manor had Tim unintentionally snuck up on Jason. Jason nearly yelled at the kid each time, but couldn't, because each time Tim would lower his head and apologize quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. Jason groaned internally. The kid was making him a softy.

Tim was also great company. Whenever Jason wanted to just sit and chill, Tim would suddenly just appear to his side, quiet and either reading a book or snoozing on Jason's shoulder. It was... peaceful.

From what he could gather, Tim was Bruce's biological son and Dick was like Jason. An orphan that Bruce took in as his own. At first, Jason had difficulty seeing the resemblance. Sure there was the hair color and eyes, but unlike Bruce, Tim was lithe and had carefully sculpted facial features that made him seem almost effeminate. So when Jason so a photograph of a woman he later found to be Tim's dead mother, he automatically figured out where Tim got most of his looks from.

Meanwhile, Jason had been staying in the manor for almost a month. It was past eight and Bruce and Dick were out on patrol, leaving Jason with Tim and Alfred. Jason was in his room reading a book Tim had recommended. It was a nice read, but Jason marveled out how a kid Tim's age could get so engrossed in a book like this. The boy was seriously smart, Jason was beginning to realize. A few minutes into the reading though, Jason heard a small noise outside his door. Getting up off his bed, he sauntered over to the door and opened it.

Tim was outside, staring at Jason as if he was curious what he had been up to.

"Hi," Tim said with a smile.

"Hey," Jason said in return. "You need something?"

"Um, I just wondered if you wanted to do something," Tim said, looking down at his feet with a blush. "I have some video games if you'd like to play them."

"Sure. Why not," Jason said with a shrug. He was starting to find that he couldn't ever say know to the kid. "Reading's not really my thing anyway."

"I like reading," Tim said with a frown.

"Yeah, that's cuz your a nerd, Babybird," Jason teased, poking Tim's stomach, earning a small squeak from the boy. Tim blushed when Jason called him Babybird. It was name Jason penned to him the day after he first started living with them. He was Babybird, and Dick was Big Bird.

"So, video games?" Jason said.

"Yeah!" Tim said with an agonizingly cute smile. "Daddy just bought Dick and I an Xbox One. Come on, I'll show you!"

"Lead on," Jason said with an imitation of a grand wave that made Tim laugh like a little kid.

Tim's giggles were seriously adorable. He led Jason to the living room, chattering about how empty the place seemed whenever Bruce and Dick were out. Jason couldn't help but smile.

In the living room, the two boys sat in front of the TV, and Tim turned on the Xbox. For the next hour or so, the two playing multiplayer mode on Halo, which Dick bought a few weeks ago. Jason growled as he was gunned down by Tim. Again.

"Jesus, kid," Jason said, shaking his head. "That's the twelfth time you've killed me!"

Tim looked down guiltilty again. "I'm sorry..."

"What? Hey, it's not a bad thing," Jason assured the younger boy. "Besides, I bet you and I could take on Dick and Roy and kick their asses at this game."

"Language, Master Jason," said Alfred as the butler just happened to pass through with his duster.

Jason stuck his tongue at the butler's retreating form, eliciting a giggle from Tim. Jason smiled at him, and the two resume their game.

Another hour passed, and Bruce and Dick finally got home. Dick looked exhausted, while Bruce looked stoic, as usual. His face softened when his eyes found his two boys huddled together in front of the TV.

"How was patrol?" Tim asked as Bruce scooped him up. Jason stood up in tandom.

"It was great!" Dick answered. "Took down Clayface and Poison Ivy. Two thought they could team up, but we showed them!"

"You did good, Dick," Bruce said, earning a delighted look from his eldest. He then turned to Jason. "I've thought it over, and I've decided to start training you. We can start tommorow."

Jason's jaw dropped, and Tim gave a smile as Dick whooped and scooped Jason up, spinning him around in a hug. This earned him an indignant squawk and bonk to the noggin.

"Leggo, Dickface!" Jason said as he wriggled free. He gave Dick a cautious glare, before looking back at Bruce.

"You won't be going on patrol right away," he explained. "We need to finish the necessary training, and you need to choose a name and design a costume."

"Sweet! I get to choose?" Jason said, smiling brightly.

"Of course," Bruce said as if it were obvious.

"Awesome!" Dick said. "Mind if I pitch in a few ideas?"

"Oh hell no," Jason growled. "I saw some early sketches of the Robin costume. There's no way I'm letting you put panties on me!"

"Oh come on!" Dick whined. "My designs weren't that bad!"

While Bruce put a giggling Tim to bed, the other two boys bickered for a bit over Dick's fashion challenge. Once Bruce had Tim tucked in, he shushed the two boys and ushered them to bed as well.

As the two boys headed to their rooms, Dick looked to Jason.

"Hey, since tomorrows a weekend, we could build a snowman if you want. Timmy said you always wanted to build one."

Jason shrugged. "I've never done it. But... there's no snow tommorrow."

"No biggie," Dick said. "Timmy can just whip up a snowstorm."

Jason paused, and looked at Dick with a confused expression. "What?"

"Tim can just think up some snow for us," Dick explained as if it were the most normal thing anyone could ever say. "You know, with his powers?"

Jason's expression grew even more confused. "What?"

Realization dawned on Dick then. "Timmy... hasn't told you yet?"

"Told me what?"

"Oh, jeez," Dick muttered. "Bruce is gonna be mad. Look uh, Timmy's got superpowers. He can control weather."

Jason just continued to gawk.

"_What?_"

* * *

The moment Dick had spilled the beans over Tim's wild talent, Jason had rushed to Bruce's room moments before the vigilante was preparing to turn in as well. Jason barely got a few words in, and only mentioned Tim and powers before Bruce looked over his shoulder and gave Dick a disapproving frown. Dick just shrugged helplessly, mouthing a 'sorry.'

So Bruce sat Jason down, and explained everything. Jason retained a shocked expression the whole way through, but went to bed that night with a little bit more understanding. Jason fumed a little when he heard about how Tim's stepfather treated him and his mom because of their talents.

But still... his little brother had _superpowers_.

_Holy shit._

The next morning, Jason met with Tim, who was fidgeted under Jason's gaze. Jason waltzed back and forth awkwardly. "So uh... powers, huh?"

The next few hours were the quietest Jason ever heard Tim, and the kid was usually pretty soft-spoken, but this was kinda scary. The kid was seriously afraid of Jason's opinion towards him? He was shocked yeah, but he didn't hate Tim. How could anyone?

Once Jason got Tim to calm down, the two had gone out to the yard, and found a nice seat together on a stone bench out near the cliff overlooking the ocean. Tim gave Jason a small demonstration of his abilities.

First, he pulled off the rain trick he did when he revealed his powers to Dick. Then he focused out on the ocean, and Jason huddled into himself when the wind suddenly picked up, the skies darkened, and small whirlpool formed out in the distance. Lightning crackled and waves beat against the cliffside.

Before it could get any crazier, Tim urged everything to a calm silence.

"Well, shit," Jason said. "That's... damn, that's fucking awesome."

"Language," Tim lectured softly with a smile.

"Whatever," Jason waved off. "Seriously though, Babybird, you could seriously pound someone with that!"

At that, Tim gave a small disapproving flinch. "I only use my powers for self-defense. I don't like hurting people with them."

Seeing that he upset the little bird somewhat, Jason's expression softened. "Hey, I'm sorry. I get it. Didn't mean to upset you."

"It's fine," Tim said, kicking his feet back and forth.

Jason smiled. "So, how about that snowman?"

Tim giggled.

* * *

Tim swats at Jason's head. "You need to-"

Bruce tunes out the conversation as he focused on the monitors, filling out reports. He was happy to see Tim helping Jason with his homework. Jason was smart, but nothing compared to the youngest.

"Alright already, Babybird,''Jason teased.

"Jay..." Tim whined, blushing. Jason just laughed, brushing a strand of Tim's hair behind his ear. His hair had grown longer in the past year.

Tim suddenly yelped as he was scooped up out of his seat by Dick, who leaped through the Batcave with his little hostage, cackling madly. "Gotcha, Timmers!"

"Hey!" Jason yelled, glaring. "I had him first, Dickface!"

"Then you'll have to take him from me, Jaybird," Dick teased.

Jason growled, and it became a game of cat and mouse between him, Tim squealing with excitement the entire time.

* * *

"What do you think?" Jason asks his family as he twirls in a slow circle. The uniform was black, from head to toe save for the domino mask, it's edges dark blue.

''I like it," Tim says.

"Have you decided on a name?" Bruce inquires

"Bluejay," Jason declares proudly.

"Come on, Jay," Dick complained. "You can do better than that!"

"Screw you, Dickface," Jason snarled. "I like the name Bluejay, so that's what I'm going for."

"I like it," Tim suddenly chirped. "It suits you."

Jason sent a smug look in Dick's direction, and Robin just rolled his eyes.

Jason's first patrol was one he would never forget.

* * *

**Hope you liked this chapter. In the next one, Tim will finally get his own identity. You can all offer suggestions on what his name should be, but it has to be something that matches with his powers. I'm _not_ calling him Storm, despite what his powers are.**

**Now, on the last chapter, I got a review from youngjusticefanatic asking me not to put in any romance because it would make the story overly complicated. I'm sorry to tell you this, but that's too bad. It's how I planned this story, and it's how it will turn out. But if it makes you feel any better, it won't be a primary focus here. The two main plot focuses to this fic are Tim's familial bonds, and the background of his abilities, his mother, and where the nature of them originated from. The romance will be present, but it will mostly be there for emotional touch and will be an opportunity to add to the protective nature of Tim's family. And if it does end up being slash, then I dunno what else to tell you. Sorry.**

**Here are the current rankings.**

**Kon/Tim**: 3

**Tim/Steph**: 1

**Roy/Tim**: 1

**Now, despite how their interactions may have been to some people in this chapter, I'm not doing Jay/Tim. Their connection in this story will be strictly brother to brother.**


	6. Phenomenon

**Summary**: Tim is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Janet Drake, and was born a metahuman. Watch how this affects the flow of the DC Universe.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

* * *

Tim was now nine years old. His father was Batman and a member of the Justice League, and his brothers were Nightwing and Bluejay. He had the best brothers ever. Dick had discarded the Robin persona and adopted the alias Nightwing, and was now the leader of the Teen Titans with Speedy, Kid Flash, Raven, Starfire, and Cyborg. Tim liked them, but he liked Raven the most. She liked to read and she understood him on an emotional level, since both of their powers were effected heavily by their emotions. On occasional visits that Bruce would allow, she had become something of a tutor to him. While his family gave him martial arts tips, Raven helped him learn to channel his powers and prevent losing control of them.

Bluejay was the stereotypical bad boy of the family, and adored Tim and eclipsed his every movement in order to make sure he wouldn't ever get hurt. Though, he had temper issues against child abuse and the Joker. Tim shuddered as he remembered that awful experience. They had been visiting Ethiopia and found Jason's biological mother. The supposed happy reunion quickly escalated out of control as the treacherous woman sold her son out to the Joker, who beat Jason repeatedly with a crowbar and left him for dead. Fortunately, Tim had followed Jason, and dragged him out of the warehouse seconds before it went up in flames.

Jason's recovery had been slow, but he was back on patrol as Bruce's sole protege. Nightwing, while he did help every now and then, was focusing most of his attention on the Titans as its leader.

Despite his amazing family, Tim was lonely. He was so very lonely. Everyone was busy doing vigilante work, and Tim wasn't. Bruce didn't like the idea of Tim being out on patrol. He loved his son and had no problem with his gift, but he felt that the stress of patrol would eventually cause Tim's powers to surface and cause unnecessary tumult. Tim understood, but was still unhappy. He helped by monitoring their activities from the cave and synthesizing antidotes for poisons and breaking down things like Scarecrow's fear gas. But even after all that, he still wanted to be a hero like his dad and brothers.

One night, he was monitoring Bruce and Jason's patrol, when contact with the pair was suddenly cut off. Tim got worried then, and paged Oracle for assistance. Eventually, they got feed back, and Tim paled.

Batman and Bluejay were being held hostage in a warehouse.

At gunpoint.

By Bane.

And their gadgets had been taken away.

Tim thought over the options. He couldn't call Dick. He'd never make it in time. The police? No. That would raise suspicion. He could call Selina. She was always willing to help, and had built up something of a rapport with Tim, continually calling him "kitten" whenever Bruce brought her over. But then he remembered that Selina wasn't even in town, instead off at some gala in Steel City. He couldn't think of anyone else to turn to.

He was out of options.

Unless...

No...

Dad would be super upset.

But they were in danger...

Tim gulped, considering this idea. He glanced over at the glass cases holding the past suits of Batman, Robin, and Bluejay. It filled him with a sense of confidence.

There would be consequences. But he had to do this. To save his family.

* * *

Tim crept like a shadow through the warehouse where his father and brother were being held captive. He could hear the sound of Bane's gloating. The madman always seemed to do that before performing his big finish.

Clad in a black hoodie, dark jeans, fingerless black gloves, and combat boots, Tim had protection in the form of a piece of cavlar over his chest. To hide his facial features, he had donned one of Dick's old domino masks and had his hood swept over his head, a few strands of dark hair hanging out.

Once the titan infused maniac had finished his speech, he gestured to one of his pinions, who walked up, machine gun in hand, and aimed it at his father.

Tim's eyes widened, and he instinctively reached into his pocket. He withdrew a single Batarang, and threw it at the man. It struck the man's hand, and he dropped the gun as he yelled in both pain and surprise. The Batarang swung back and collided against the man's head, knocking him out.

Tim looked at Batman and Bluejay, flinching at their shocked faces. Batman's was very unhappy looking.

Bane registered Tim's presence, and immediately sent his four remaining goons after him. Tim leapt into action, those self-defense lessons Bruce gave him coming into effect. He slid underneath one guy's legs, shooting his fist out and nailing the guy right in the cojones. As the man doubled over in pain, Tim quickly pulled two small disc-like devices from his pockets and tossed them towards another goon. They stopped by his feet, and glowed bright blue before unleashing electric charges that coursed through the man before he collapsed into unconsciousness. Tim sprung up to his feet and ducked away from another man's punch. He jammed his hand knife-like into a guy's sternum, and the guy doubled over in pain, getting knocked out as Tim delivered a kick to the face.

The last goon had run at him and wrapped his arms around his torso, lifting him up and trying to restrain him as he struggled. Tim managed to grasp his hand and twist his thumb backwards, his whole arm stiffening and following the motion as he emitted a yell. Tim kicked his leg against the man's shin, forcing him to release him. Glancing to the side, Tim quickly grabbed a steel pipe that had been conveniently resting atop a lone crate, and swung it at the goon's side and then his chest, dropping the weapon and leaping into the air so to kick both feet to the center of his chest, land on his back, and roll onto his shoulders with the momentum. His arms raised above his head as he rocked his body forward to propel himself to his feet, dashing at him while he was still stunned and wrapping his thighs around his neck. Tim threw the entire weight of his body down and tossed the man heavily onto the floor, landing on his feet.

While Tim was busy tusling with the goons, Batman and Bluejay were working out of their restraints. When Tim finished with the last goon, he turned to his father and brother.

Bluejay looked up with wide eyes. "Behind you!"

Tim then noticed the dark shadow over him, and yelped as Bane picked him up, wrapping his gigantic fist around his neck as he slammed him hard against a wall.

"Let the boy go, Bane," Batman said, his voice hard and cold.

"Make one move and I will crush his bones into dust!" Bane growled.

Batman's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Bluejay growled, looking ready to pounce. Tim, meanwhile, was hyperventilating. His eyes were clenched shut and his heart rate sped up as he looked up through an open skylight in the warehouse.

Bane paused when he heard thunder, and looked up at the sky as dark clouds covered the moon, crackles of lightning filling the sky. Bane's eyes grew wide as a single bolt of lightning shot down towards him, and struck him square in the chest. The searing electricity coursed through his body and propelled him away from Tim and into a pile of crates. He was out almost instantly.

Tim slid down against the wall, breathing rather fast. Batman and Bluejay were at his side, trying to calm him.

"Oh, Tim," Bruce said with a broken sigh. "What were you thinking?"

"Y-You were in trouble," Tim whimpered. "I just... wanted to help. I'm sorry."

Batman just sighed, and took his sons home.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Tim's little rescue. Dick had suddenly returned to the manor despite having a team in Jump City to take care of. He and Jason babied Tim tremendously in their own way, which consisted of constantly getting him food, making sure he didn't trip or fall, or getting him a tissue when he sneezed, among other things.

Tim had been afraid that his dad was angry at him. And a small part of him was afraid that his dad was going to disown him for interfering in patrol. That's he had crossed the line that he could never uncross.

But then, he came home to an unexpected but very welcomed surprise.

Clad in his school uniform, Tim got out of the limo with Jason trailing behind as Alfred led them back into the manor. Moments after the pair entered, Bruce was sitting in the recliner, waiting.

"Tim."

Tim froze. "Yes, dad?"

"Can you come with me for a second?" Bruce asked. "I have something to show you."

"Uh, yeah. Sure," said Tim, exchanging a nervous glance with Jason, and then scurrying after his father. Normally Tim would feel nervous in situations like this, but the presence of his father, solid and steady beside him, was enough to keep Tim stable.

They went down to the Batcave, when his father suddenly stopped. Tim glanced nervously at his father, feeling small and useless. He stared into his father's clear blue eyes, that looked him over. Then Bruce surprised him, and bent down to his level. His father rarely did that. Only for a hug or a very serious conversation.

"Tim, that night you helped stop Bane, I thought he was going to kill you," Bruce said, and Tim felt extreme guilt rise up inside him.

"I'm sor-"

"I know Timmy," said Bruce, smiling slightly as he ruffled Tim's hair. "I know you want to be a hero. You've always wanted to be one since Jason became Bluejay. But you worried me and your brothers. A lot."

"I'm sorry," said Tim again, whimpering and staring at his feet.

"I'm not angry with you, Timmy," said Bruce, tilting his son's head to look at him. "And I've decided to support your choice."

Tim blanched. "You mean... you're gonna let me-"

"Yes," Bruce said. "Of course, we'll need to give you an identity first."

Bruce laughed when Tim threw his arms around Bruce in a tight hug, and hugged him back tenderly.

* * *

Tim's uniform was the only one besides Batman's that had a cape, a hooded one with tattered and worn out ends. The cape and hood were both black, and he wore a domino underneath. The body suit and armor were both black with a little bit of dark gray. On his right shoulder, a silver emblem in the shape of a lightning bolt as plastered. That had been Dick's sole contribution. Jason had complained it looked too much like the Flash's logo, but Tim didn't seem to mind.

It did make him look threatening, but he was still the smallest of the bat bunch.

His father, butler, and brothers were all gathered around to see. Jason wolf whistled. "Looking good, Babybird."

Tim blushed furiously, and smiled. "Thanks."

"Why Phenomenon, though?" Jason queried. "Sounds kind of weird."

Tim sent Dick an 'I told you so' look. Dick was the one who came up with the name.

"It's not weird! In fact it fits Timmy perfectly!" Dick defended. "I mean he has the power to make weather phenomena, and he was born with it, so he's also a phenomenon."

"That's dumb," Jason shot at him.

"You're dumb!" Dick said back, sticking his tongue out.

Before an unnecessary argument could ensue, Tim's quiet voice spoke up. "I like it."

Jason shut up at that, while Dick sent him a smug look.

Bruce ruffled Tim's hair. "It's perfect."

Tim's blush deepened, and he smiled.

* * *

Tim was now thirteen and standing beside Bluejay and Batman in front of the Hall of Justice. Bruce placed a proud hand on his shoulder, and Tim smiled up to his father, excitement fluttering through his body. As the Phenomenon, Tim had become something of the Dynamic Duo's secret weapon, called in only for Batman's heavy hitters. Aside from his powers, Tim was a terrific hand-to-hand combatant.

"Boys, welcome to Mt. Justice," Bruce said.

"Sweet!" Jason said with a smile.

Once the Justice League started, and other heroes noticed the successful nature of the partnerships Batman had with his sons, it prompted other heroes on. Green Arrow had gotten Speedy, and the Flash had gotten Kid Flash. Together, the three of them had founded the Teen Titans, and the success of that team, added with a newer generation of young heroes, had prompted the League to start a new team that, unlike the Titans, operated under their jurisdiction.

Aside from Tim and Jason, Wonder Woman had brought in Wonder Girl, a demigoddess, and the Flash had brought in Impulse, another boy with superspeed who was a year younger than Tim.

The little speedster had zoomed up to Tim and Jason. While Jason jumped back slightly, Tim merely blinked.

"Hi!" the redhead greeted. "I'mBart. WellactuallyImpulsebutyoucancallmeBart."

"I'm Bluejay," Jason greeted, and put a hand on Tim's head. "This is Phenomenon."

"Or Jason and Tim," Tim spoke up, smiling.

"Nice to meet you guys," Wonder Girl said, smiling. "I'm Wonder Girl. You can call me Cassie, if you want."

"You guys wanna order a pizza?" Bart asked,vibrating with excitement.

"I'm game," Jason said.

"Cool!" Bart said. "I'll be right back!"

Tim giggled slightly. This was going to be quite interesting.

* * *

**And Young Justice begins. Nice idea on the Phenomenon identity, Guest :)**

Time for deciding pairings is coming to a close. It really depends on how many I get between this chapter and the next. But for now, the results are:

**Kon/Tim**: 6

**Tim/Steph**: 3

**Roy/Tim**: 1


	7. Superboy

**Summary**: Tim is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Janet Drake, and was born a metahuman. Watch how this affects the flow of the DC Universe.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

* * *

When the alert from Project Cadmus came in, Tim wasn't quite sure he wanted to go with the other Young Justice members. The League told them to stay, and there were too few of them to offer any assistance. However, Jason talked them into it. Bart agreed full on, but Tim knew that a quick glance from Cassie that she thought along the same lines as him. Nevertheless, the two followed Jason and Bart, partly to make sure nothing bad would happen. Moments before they were about to leave, Jason glanced back at Tim.

"You know, maybe you should stay behind, Phen," he said, looking uneasy.

At this, Tim frowned. "I can handle myself, Jay."

"You're kind of young," Bluejay said as they made their way to the Cadmus facility. "Dad would be pissed off if anything happened."

"I know what I'm doing," Tim said with a glare. "Besides, Bart is younger than me, and I'm not letting you do this by yourself. Your my brother, remember?"

"Fine," Jay sighed, squeezing Tim's shoulder. "Just... be careful, okay?"

Tim just smiled, and hugged his brother. Bluejay could never deny him anything, it seemed. Tim abused that privilege every chance he got.

* * *

Tim was staring. He couldn't help it. The shock of finding out that Cadmus had created a clone of Superman was nothing compared to the shock of actually finding him. He was so young. He looked no older than fifteen.

Superboy seemed like a more appropriate term to give.

Tim placed his hand against the glass of the clone's pod, ignoring the bickering from his brother and two friends. They were debating on whether or not they should wake him up. Bluejay was firmly against it, feeling that anything whipped up by Cadmus couldn't be good.

But when Tim heard his brother say that they should just destroy the pod, he took that moment to speak. "Set him free."

All heads turned towards him, displaying looks of surprise. Jason stepped forward. "Tim-"

"This is wrong," Tim said, facing the other three. "We can't leave him like this. He's less than a few weeks old. We can't let him become Cadmus' mindless puppet. He deserves a chance."

Jason looked conflicted, and glanced between his brother's pleading eyes and the teen sleeping in the pod. He glanced over at Bart and Cassie.

"It's worth a shot," Cassie said with a shrug.

"Yeah!" Bart chirped. "What's the worst that could happen."

Jason looked back at Tim, who gave one last please, before Jason sighed.

"Let him out."

Cassie nodded, typing a few commands on the controls. The four young heroes watched as the pod hissed, steam flowing out as it slowly opened. Tim, ignoring Jason's demands to stay back, walked up to the clone curiously until they were only a few feet apart. The clone suddenly flinched, his hand clenching into a fist and his knuckles popping.

His eyes opened, and Tim's breath hitched. They were a really bright blue, just like Superman's. The clone blinked, cocking his head slightly as his vision slowly came to him. The first thing he saw was another pair of blue eyes, then a domino mask, then a hood. Then Tim.

They just stared at each other for a few more seconds, before the clone suddenly lunged out, swinging a fist at Tim.

"NO!" Jason yelled, and Bart instantly zoomed forward and got Tim to safety. The clone's fist hit the ground, shaking the room and leaving an impression.

Immediately, Jason had his birdarangs ready. The clone turned and charged towards Wonder Girl, growling like an animal. As Bluejay's birdarangs flew towards the clone, Bart ran between them, using his own velocity and the wind it created to propel the birdarangs with increased force directly at the clone. They struck with the force equivalent to a jack-hammer landing on concrete, and while they didn't manage to break skin, they did manage to knock the clone off of Cassie's warpath. Bart decelerated, as the clone roared in fury.

"Relax, we're here to help you!" Bart yelled, trying to reason with him. He circled around the clone, but the clone was able to detect his movements and lashed his hand out, slapping Bart across the face and sent him flying towards the pod, which shattered beneath Bart's body as he fell into unconsciousness. Bluejay was in pure Batman-mode, snarling and was reaching for his belt to grab the kryptonite Batman lent him. The clone, however, tackled Jason in anger. Tim grew angry as he saw Jason fall unconscious at the intensity of the clone's attack. His own hand went to the compartments in his suit, searching for the mandatory kryptonite his dad told him to keep.

The clone was coming after him, and Tim cursed under his breath. He clenched his hand into a fist, and channeled ambient electromagnetism through his body, and fire it from his hand in the form of an electric blast. The lightning struck the clone in the chest, causing him to stagger, evidently shocked by the attack. Tim fired a few more bolts, knocking the clone back a few feet, before Cassie suddenly flew in and bashed the clone across the jaw with her fist. The clone as knocked into a wall, and slid down onto the ground. He looked up to see Cassie lunging at him, and he jumped away from her strike. As she was distracted, the clone kicked his knee up, nailing her right in the guy and knocking the wind out of her. A chop to the neck knocked her out.

Tim and the clone faced off, now alone. Tim slowly reached for the compartment with the kryptonite. He was just about to pull it out, when the clone loomed over him. His hand was around his throat, and Tim found himself against the wall.

It was a feeling of deja vu, the experience with Bane coming back. He looked into the clone's eyes pleadingly, and to his surprise, the clone seemed to hesitate, his grip lessening.

Tim suddenly felt a prick on his neck, and gasped as the clone released him. He pulled the dart out of his neck and dropped it, and as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness, the last thing he saw was the clone's bright blue eyes looking down at him.

* * *

Doctor Desmond called in his contact quickly, and he watched as a woman appeared on the screen. She appeared to be ins her early thirties, skin smooth and pale, eyes dark green, and blonde hair tied up into a bun. She wore glasses, and her face was composed of a deep scowl that only seemed to get deeper when she saw who was on the screen.

"What do you want, Desmond?" she said almost impatiently. "I am busy, and all of these calls are making Waller suspicious."

"I am sorry to disturb you, Dr. Blackwell," Desmond said. "But there have been some unexpected turns here, and I thought I should inform you."

The woman, Dr. Blackwell, just sighed impatiently. "Fine. Just give your report."

"Of course," Desmond said, clearing his throat. "Well, we had a small fire here at Project Cadmus. The origin of the incident is still unclear, but it seems to have attracted some unwanted attention. Bluejay, Phenomenon, Wonder Girl, and Impulse breached security. They found and released the weapon. The Superboy."

Dr. Blackwell's jaw clenched at this, and she looked ready to snap, but Desmond quickly eased her nerves. "Of course, the clone is under our telepathic control and as ordered turned against his would-be liberators."

Dr. Blackwell seemed to calm at this. "And the intruders?"

"Contained," Desmond said. "But we believe the League knows they're here. We're taking necessary precautions of course, but some of our scientists took blood samples from the intruders. There was nothing out of the ordinary with Bluejay's DNA. He's human. Wonder Girl and Impulse are none too different from Wonder Woman and the Flash. No surprise there. But... the boy, Phenomenon... well, I thought it best if you saw the results yourself."

Dr. Blackwell frowned in confusion as Desmond typed in a few commands to the keypad, and sent in the DNA results to Blackwell. On the other end, she recieved them, and as her eyes scanned over the screen, her eyebrows slowly rose. Then her eyes widened.

"I... recognize this," she said slowly. "But it's been years. The last time I saw anything like this was when..."

She quickly looked back at Desmond. She had a disturbingly excited gleam in her eyes. "I want the boy delivered to my facility immediately. Alive. Is that understood?"

Desmond nodded. "Yes, ma'am. And the other three?"

"Dispose of them," Blackwell said with a casual nod. "Leave no trace of them."

* * *

Tim groaned as he slowly came back to the land of the living.. His eyes widened as he glanced around, trying to figure out where he was. There was no sign of Jason, Cassie, or Bart. His costume and mask were still on him, but he was trapped in a pod. And the clone was watching him.

His gaze was so piercing, and so curious and thorough, that Tim found himself blushing. He felt oddly self-conscious.

"What?" said Tim, squirming at that look. "Stop staring. It's embarrassing."

The clone merely gave a humming sound, and looked towards the door. Tim was rarely ever a victim of kidnapping. There were only a few occasions with the Joker, but he had gotten himself out fine each time. Tim tried to channel his powers, but he gave a cry of pain as an electrical charge surged through him. It wasn't like the electricity he generated. This felt different. More artificial. And painful. Tim craned his head, and realized there was a collar on his neck. It was inhibiting his abilities. Just great.

His eyes fell onto the clone. "Why did you attack my friends?"

The clone said nothing.

Tim huffed. "We only wanted to help you."

Still nothing.

Now Tim was frowning. "You... you can speak, can't you?"

"Of course I can."

Tim blinked. The clone's voice was deep and masculine. Not like Batman level deep, but more like Superman level. Except, younger and less happy.

"Oh," Tim said, blushing slightly as he felt sort of stupid for asking such a question. He squirmed when that sharp blue gaze fell on him again.

"Um..." Tim said awkwardly. "I'm Phenemenon, by the way."

"I know," the clone said. "I know of you. They put information of all heroes into my head while I was in the tank."

"Oh," Tim said again. "What's your name?"

The clone said nothing. His eyes just traveled down to the ground, and Tim blinked.

"You don't have one. Do you," Tim stated, and the clone's eyes returned to his. "Do you know what you are?"

"I am the Superboy, a genomorph, a clone made from the DNA of the Superman, created to replace him should he perish," came a rehearsed, almost militant answer. It sent chills up Tim's spine.

Tim spent the next few minutes asking the clone several other questions. Superboy told him about what he had learned while in the tank, but as he spoke, Tim noted that he sounded strangely detached.

It compelled him to ask, "Have you ever actually seen the sky, or the sun? Have you ever actually been out of this place before?"

"Images are implanted in my mind, but no, I have not seen them," said Superboy, and Tim's eyes grew soft. He couldn't imagine a life of not seeing things.

"Wouldn't you like to see them for real, though?" Tim asked, causing Superboy to look at him curiously. "You deserve a life outside of a lab. Outside of Cadmus."

"I live because of Cadmus!" argued Superboy, sounding defensive. Batman would say Tim was hitting the right nerves. "It is my home!"

"Your home is a test tube," said Tim, gentle and sympathetic. "I could show you the sun. I could even introduce you to Superman. Would you like that?"

Something in Superboy's eyes seemed to change for a moment, but whatever he was about to say was cut off as a Cadmus scientist suddenly came in.

"No, I don't think it would."

At that, Tim glared. "He's not an 'it'."

He didn't know why he said it. It just slipped out. Tim just felt frustrated at the careless indifference towards Superboy's individuality. His person.

The man just scoffed, and pushed Superboy aside as he started typing on the keypad. Tim gasped in pain as he felt several needles inject fluid into his body, and he felt himself losing consciousness again. As he fought to stay awake, he looked into Superboy's eyes again, pleadingly.

_Please, help._

Everything was blurry then. He couldn't make out anything, but he could hear things. It sounded like... explosions, men crying in panic. Then there was shattered glass, and Tim felt the needles leave him, and the shackles around his wrists and ankles broken as he was lifted up. Then he passed out.

* * *

"...im. Timmy? Come on, Babybird, wake up!"

Tim groaned as he blinked his eyes open, and made out the masked face of Bluejay above him.

He blinked. "Jay?"

Bluejay sighed in relief, and enveloped his brother in a hug. "Jesus, Babybird, you scared the living shit out of me!"

Tim smiled slightly, returning the hug. "I'm fine, Jay. What... what happened?"

Tim looked around. They were outside the Project Cadmus building, or rather what was left of it. Bart and Cassie were with them, and also... Superboy?

"He freed us!" Bart exclaimed happily, pointing at Superboy. "We were locked in a cell, about to get gassed, but then he came in with you and busted us out! It was awesome!"

"It's true," Cassie said, smiling.

Tim looked at his friends, then at Jason, who was staring at Superboy in obvious distrust. Superboy, meanwhile, who was staring at Tim again. It made Tim blush. What was with all the staring? Jeez...

"Thank you," said Tim, offering Superboy a smile.

Superboy, looked away slightly, and Tim blinked, briefly making out a slight pinkish tinge on his cheeks.

Seconds later, the entire Justice League suddenly came in. Superman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary... and Batman. He was looking at Jason and Tim with a mixture of worry and anger.

Tim gulped. He was so grounded.

* * *

**Well, I'm sorry to say this Tim/Steph lovers, but it looks like Kon/Tim won the poll. Hope Kon's introduction to the story was satisfactory. Be sure to leave your reviews, and thanks for reading.**


	8. Damian

**Summary**: Tim is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Janet Drake, and was born a metahuman. Watch how this affects the flow of the DC Universe.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

* * *

"I don't like him."

From his seat on the couhc, Dick raised an eyebrow at his younger brother, who had been pacing around the living room for the past thirty minutes with an angry look on his face. Dick shook it off as nothing at first. Jason always was a bit of a grump.

"Who?"

"Who do you think?" Jason snapped. "Supey Junior. I tell you, there's something off about that guy."

Dick shrugged. "He seemed alright to me."

"He's dangerous!" Jason argued. "Timmy trusts him too easily. Sooner or later, that clone boy's gonna snap and hurt somebody."

Dick's face immediately softened when Jason brought up Tim. That one little slip more or less told Dick what the middle Wayne child was so stressed about. He wasn't afraid of the clone hurting anyone else. At least, not as much as the possibility of him hurting Tim. Dick couldn't deny that Tim seemed to be spending a lot of time with the clone. Conner, Dick corrected himself. That's what Clark had decided to call him. Dick could understand where Jason was getting at, but he had faith that Tim could handle himself. Bruce did always instruct them to carry at least one shard of kryptonite around in case of Kryptonian emergencies.

"That 'clone boy' has name, you know," Dick said mildly. "And Tim can handle himself. Have a little faith in him, Jay."

"I do have faith in him!" Jason said immediately, appalled that Dick would even insinuate that he didn't. "I'm just saying, he's spending too much time with the cl-Conner. He should be spending more time with us. His family. Where he's safer."

Dick blinked, and a grin slowly formed. "This isn't about the clone at all, is it. You're just jealous that he's getting most of Tim's attention."

Jason froze, and looked away as a blush formed on his face. That only seemed to make Dick's grin wider.

"Oh my God. You totally are!" he said, laughing. "You're jealous of Conner!"

"Screw you, Dickhead!" Jason growled, grinding his teeth when his older brother laughed harder. "Quit laughing!"

When Dick didn't stop, Jason growled and lunged in anger. Dick ducked the incoming punch easily and grinned. Jason threw another punch, then another, trying to nail the grinning idiot he was forced to call a brother. Eventually, Jason just lost it and tackled Dick, who quickly got the best of Jason when he wrapped him in a hug that included his arms, legs, and what Jason could have sworn were about a dozen invisible tentacles. Jason growled. Dick was all but a damn leech whenever he got someone in a hug.

"Let go!" Jason squirmed. "Dammit, Dick, I don't need a hug! I need to kick your ass!"

"Mmm, I don't think so," Dick said playfully, that freaking grin infuriating Jason to no end.

A giggle sounded from the door, prompting Jason to stiffen and Dick to laugh. They both looked to see Tim, having just come back from hanging out with Conner. He had one of those adorable grins on his face.

"Having fun?"

Jason just grumbled, while Dick chortled. "Very. But now I think I need a Timmy hug."

Tim just laughed and curled up in an est made of Dick and Jason's laps. He fit nicely enough that Jason couldn't help but laugh a little. With how busy Dick was, it had been so long since all three of them were together like this. It was nice.

Dick ruffled Tim's hair affectionately. "So, how did it go with Conner?"

"Okay," Tim shrugged. "He's getting better at interacting with other people. He's... still a little aggressive though."

Jason snorted, earning him a thwap to the head by Dick, causing him to whine in protest and swat at Dick's hand.

"He'll cool down eventually," Dick said with a smile.

Tim just hummed, relaxing into Jason's lap as his brother pat his head gently. Almost in tandom with Tim's calmness, a ray of sunshine shone through the window and fell over the three boys.

When Bruce came in about thirty minutes later, he smiled at the sight of his sons all snoozing on the floor, cuddled up with Tim squished gently in between. He walked over to the couch, taking off a blanket that had been folded neatly in the corner, and laid it over his sons before leaving them in peace.

* * *

Bruce was not happy. No scratch that.

Bruce was furious!

Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins had attacked. They stole Tim when they couldn't get Bruce. The ninja took him back to one of their bases. Unconcious for most of the journey, Tim awoke to find himself in a cell, a metal collar secured around his neck. When he touched it, he hissed when he felt a mild electric shock. He attempted to use his powers, but only got as far as making a minor overcast outside before an even more painful shock filled his neck.

Tim huffed. Great. It was like Cadmus all over again.

Soon after, a group of ninja came into his cell, Talia al Ghul at the lead. She looked down at Tim remorsefully.

"I apologize in advance for this, Timothy."

Tim merely grunted as he wasp pulled to his feet. He never really hated Talia. He hated what she did, but didn't really hate the woman herself. She was respectful, especially to him. Tim wasn't sure why exactly. But he remembered when he was eight, and he and Talia had met for the first time. Talia had studied him closely, and Tim had wriggled uncomfortably under her gaze. Then, before she had gone, she said one thing to him.

_You look just like your mother. She would be proud._

Tim was dumbstruck at that. Apparently, Talia had been acquainted with his mother in some capacity, and seemed to hold a little bit of respect for her. Which Tim didn't understand. Bruce and his mother had been very close, and Talia had obvious romantic feelings for his father. Tim would think she should have felt threatened and then overjoyed when his mother was killed.

Right?

Tim was pulled out of his thoughts when he found himself before Ra's al Ghul.

"Do you know why you are here?" he asked Tim.

Tim just stared back emotionlessly. "No."

"You are here to help me finally convince the Detective to stand by my side."

"It won't work," Tim said simply.

"We'll just see, won't we," Ra's retorted. "I apologize for the collar. But we cannot have you using your... wild talents here, now can we?"

Ra's took out a small device, pressing down on it. The collar around Tim's neck shocked him again, causing Tim to whimper slightly and fall to his knees. Ra's merely smiled at this, while Talia looked at him in worry.

"Father..."

Ra's just sighed and pressed the device again. Tim sighed when the pain stopped. When Ra's left, Talia immediately called for her servants.

"Place Timothy in one of the guest rooms. Make sure that it is heavily guarded at all times. Anything he asks for, within reason of course, you are to retrieve for him. I don't care what my father says."

They half dragged, half carried Tim to a new room and locked him in. He flopped down on the bed, curled up, and silently begged Bruce to come quickly.

* * *

"Tt. I do not see why mother is so invested in keeping you comfortable here. You do not look like anything special."

Tim looked up from his book to see a five-year-old boy standing beside him. "Um... I don't think you're supposed to be in here."

"I go where I wish," the boy informed him haughtily. "Mather will not mind."

Tim raised an eyebrow. "Your mother? You mean Talia?"

The boy scoffed. "As if any other woman here is of any higher caliber."

Tim had to resist laughing. Seeing a child so young speak with that big vocabulary was utterly adorable. He was starting to understand why Dick always said that to him when he was younger.

"If you're sure. Am I allowed to know who you are?"

He puffed out his chest. "I am Damian al Ghul, heir to the League of Shadows."

"Ah. That's nice. And how was your day, Damian?"

"You do not believe me," his pout made Tim want to hug him.

"No, I believe you, I just don't really care."

"Oh. I suppose my day was alright. I made mother proud."

"Really? Want to tell me about it?"

"One of my trainers attempted to harm me. I killed him with one blow. Mother was very pleased with me."

"Were you pleased with you?"

Damian hesitated, then crawled up onto the bed to sit across from Tim.

"...I do not know," he said hesitantly. "I am pleased that I made mother proud, but I feel bad about killing him. I know that I should not be upset-"

"But you are anyway," Tim finished.

"Yes."

Tim reached forward and ruffled the boy's hair. Damian blushed slightly, obviously not used to such contact.

"What have you been taught about killing?"

"I know how to make someone's death quick and painless or long and agonizing. I know that I must kill to further grandfather's cause. That it makes mother and grandfather proud of me. That it is the way of the League and I must follow it."

"Must you? Damian, were you ever even given a choice? How can you be sure that what you're doing is right if you've never known any other way?"

"I... do not know." Damian said uncertainly. After a while, he looked up at Tim curiously. "What is your name?"

"Timothy Wayne."

Damian suddenly froze, and actually seemed to looked at Tim, studying him from head to toe.

Tim blinked. "Damian-?"

"You are the son of the Batman?" Damian questioned.

"Yes?" Tim said quizically.

Damian took in a quick breath then, and to Tim's surprise, he inched closer and gaze Tim an attempted hug. It was a very sloppy embrace, full of uncertainty. It told Tim that the boy had never given hugs before.

"Um, Damian?"

"You are my older brother," Damian said suddenly. "I am Damian al Ghul-Wayne. Son of Talia al Ghul and Bruce Wayne. You are my blood. Mother told me that if we were ever to meet, I would show you the utmost respect."

"I-what?" Tim said, thoroughly shocked. He gently pried Damian off him and looked him in the eyes. "How old are you?"

"I am five."

"What is your birthday?"

"July 2nd."

July 2nd. Five years ago. Tim recalled. Five years ago, the Court of Owls had kidnapped Talia and Dick, attempting to kill the former for revenge against Ra's and indoctrinate the into the newest Talon. Bruce and Ra's had joined forces to rescue the pair. After that, Bruce and Talia had spent the night together. Tim wasn't naive. By now he knew what they were doing at the time.

But that wasn't important. What was important, was that Tim had a brother. A little brother. A _biological_ little brother.

"Huh." Tim said simply, staring at Damian.

The discussion would have carried on, had one of the guards not entered the room. "Master Damian, your mother wants you."

Damian bit his lip slightly, looking torn, before looking at Tim.

"I will be back, Timothy," he promised and hurried away.

* * *

**I'm just going to go ahead and say that I absolutely HATED the way DC wrote the relationship between Tim and Damian. Damian was such a little prick, and Tim deserved better. Post some reviews and let me know what you thought.**


	9. Two of a Kind

**Summary**: Tim is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Janet Drake, and was born a metahuman. Watch how this affects the flow of the DC Universe.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

* * *

"He's awake! Seal the castle! NOW!"

Ra's al Ghul's temple fortress was in chaos. Ninjas and assassins were running wild through the place, sealing doors and exits while scouring the halls searching for their target. Talia was leading the charge, looking particularly worried and shaken by whatever was going on.

Elsewhere, in the main foyer of the castle, a pair of ninjas were searching the room when they saw movement at the top of the steps. A small shadow, scampering by and down a nearby hall.

"Hault!"

The ninjas immediately jumped up along the steps in pursuit of the figure, but as they disappeared down the hall, there was a both terrified and angry shriek, high-pitched and almost child-like, followed by a flash of blue light. The two ninjas screamed as they were propelled backwards by the light, their clothes and skin burning with blue fire as they landed flat on their backs, groaning and writhing.

As if alerted to the noise, three more ninja suddenly appeared in the room, and looked over their fallen comrades. Before they could register what had happened, the same small figure jumped out from the shadows and clung to the ninja's back. Snarling, the little figure wrapped their tiny legs around the man's throat, and then reached their hand forward. The nails were long, curved, and sharp like a bird's talons, and cut the man's throat with ease. Blood sprayed from the wound and the ninja fell over dead as the little figure leapt off of him, lunging at the nearest ninja and knocking him to the ground. The figure swiped their hand out, repeating the same attack on this ninja.

The third ninja had quickly unsheathed his sword and rushed toward the mysterious creature, but the figure expertly dodged the attack, grabbing the blade and yanking it out of the ninja's grasp. There was a swishing noise, and blood flew from the man's neck as his head was lopped off his shoulders. The blood sprayed onto a nearby medieval armored suit put up on display. As the ninja's body fell, the little figure was breathing heavily, almost feral, before shakily dropping the sword.

Staring at their hands, the little creature looked over to the blood-coated armor, and quickly ran over. They wiped the blood off of the silver metal, and in the dim light of the foyer, were able to make out their reflection in the metal.

The figure gasped, backing up in horror as tears filled their eyes.

"... No..."

Suddenly, the sound of a window shattering and glass spilling all over the floor caused the little figure to jump. Looking up, they saw a shadow fall in from the glass skylight on the ceiling. Clad in cape and shrouded in darkness, the Batman landed in the center of the floor. His intense glare made its way up the stares, settling on the small figure.

Quickly, the creature slipped away down the hall and out of sight. Batman watched them retreat as Robin and Bluejay dropped down as well, joining him on both sides.

"Search the castle. Find Tim and take down anyone who gets in your way."

* * *

Tim was scared. Curled up in the bed with his knees held against his chest, Tim had been here for nearly a week. At least he thought it had been a week. He wasn't entirely sure what day it was anymore. No one came to see him. Damian mysteriously disappeared only a day after they first met. Tim could tell there had been two ninjas guarding his door, but that was it. He couldn't even use his powers to break free. Every time he tried, that horrible pain coursed through him. He couldn't even try to touch the collar without it shocking him. He didn't like feeling restrained in such a way. Every night he silently begged for his family to come for him. He didn't like this place, he wanted to go home.

He could hear the activity outside his room, even as the two ninjas stood their guard. There were panicked orders being shouted throughout the castle. Tim prayed that it was his family.

His prayers were proven true when he heard the two ninjas outside crying in pain, and then the doors broke down to reveal Bluejay. Upon seeing Tim, Jason breathed a sigh of relief and went over to hug his brother.

"Oh thank god, Tim!" he said, squeezing the boy. "Thank god your okay!"

"I knew you'd come," Tim whispered. "Is dad...?"

"Yeah, him and Robin are taking care of the baddies," Jason said, and then noticed the collar. Realizing what it was, Jason growled. "Bastards. Let me get that..."

"No!" Tim said, quickly grabbing Jason's wrists to stop him. "It'll shock me!"

Jason cursed, and looked towards the door when he heard a number of footsteps approaching. He looked back to Tim. "Alright fine. We'll let Bruce take care of it when we get back home. Let's get out of here."

As the two got up to leave the room, Tim suddenly stopped.

"What are you doing?" Jason said, wide-eyed. "We need to go!"

"Not yet," Tim said sternly. "There's someone we need to get first."

* * *

Bruce and Dick showed no mercy as they took down the entire wave of ninjas Ra's threw at him. In the confusion, Ra's and Talia had fled.

Batman glanced to the side when he saw shadows coming down the hall, and let out a breath he had been holding when he saw that it was Jason and Tim.

"Timmy!" Dick shouted in happiness, and scooped his brother up in a hug and spun him around. Tim just laughed as Dick spun him, before setting him down. A shadow fell over him, and he looked up to see Bruce.

The Dark Knight immediately knelt down and took his youngest son in a hug.

"Tim," he pulled away, looking the boy over. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine, dad," he promised, and then pointed to the collar. "I'd just like to have this taken off as soon as possible."

Bruce eyes the collar. "Right. Let's get you home first."

"Um, actually B..." Jason interrupted. "There's a little something we gotta tell you..."

Before Jason could continue, though, a bright blue light illuminated the room. The four members of the Batfamily looked in the direction of the light, briefly blinded by the intensity, before three balls of energy were suddenly shot out. They each collided with Batman, Robin, and Bluejay, knocking them back. Tim gasped, watching as his father and brothers were blasted away with wide eyes.

The light died down, and Tim stared at the small figure standing in front of him. The figure was wearing a black robe, the hood concealing their face. Their fists were tightly clenched, and it took a moment for Tim to realize that they were shaking and breathing heavily, almost hyperventilating.

The person's height gave Tim an idea on who it was.

"... Damian?"

Immediately, the small boy was in front of Tim, looking up at him with glowing electric-blue eyes. They were much brighter than they had been before. They were actually glowing, and his pupils... they had become slits, like a cat's eye! There were tears spilling from them as the boy shook violently. His hands gripped Tim's sleeves, and Tim winced when he felt something sharp poking through the fabric against his flesh. He looked at Damian's hands, and gasped when he saw that the skin was covered in black fur, and his nails were now curved talons.

Tim's wide eyes locked with Damian's glowing blues once again, and in the light of the chandelier above, Tim finally got a good look at the boy's face. His face was black and furry, and his ears long and pointy. His hair seemed to be longer, and when his mouth opened, Tim saw that his canines had become sharp fangs.

The boy spoke, his voice shaky and terrified.

"_What_. Happened to me?!"

* * *

**I know what you're all thinking. WTF just happened? Rather than answer your questions right away, I'll just let you all ponder on the possibilities until the next chapter ;)**

**Sorry for the long wait. Personal life busy at the moment. Post your reviews and share your opinions, and thanks for reading!**


	10. The Way

**Summary**: Tim is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Janet Drake, and was born a metahuman. Watch how this affects the flow of the DC Universe.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

* * *

_Janet watched as the ambulance took away Jack's body. The authorities had spent the past hour questioning her, but she remained stone-faced the whole way, claiming that her husband had been clumsy and hit his head. The police seemed disturbed by her lack of empathy for the man she had married, and let her and her son be._

_As she watched them drive away, Janet's eyes lingered up towards the sky. The clouds were moving abnormally fast and rain was starting to pour. That, and thunder. Instinctively, Janet looked down to the little boy in her arms, who was holding in whimpers, tears pouring from his eyes. She immediately went into mother-mode._

_"Shh," she whispered soothinly, sitting in a rocking chair and cradling her little boy. Tim just sniffled. "It'll be alright, baby."_

_"I didn't mean to..." Tim whimpered, tears spilling. "He hurt you."_

_"I know, baby," she said, smiling. "I don't blame you. I blame him."_

_"I'm scared, mommy."_

_"I know," Janet said, kissing Tim's forehead. "I was, too."_

_Slowly, Tim calmed down, his sobs dissolving into soft snores as he slowly fell asleep. The rain and thunder outside died away, the gloomy skies remaining as the boy in her arms slept peacefully._

_"It's okay, beautiful," Janet whispered. "I'll show you the way."_

* * *

"You monster! What have you done to him?!"

Damian's vision was clouded as he slowly blinked himself awake. He recognized the panicked voice as his mother's. He tried to look around and see where he was, but everything was so blurry. What happened? The last thing he remembered was visiting Timothy a second time. Damian liked his brother. He was everything his mother said he was and he had wanted to visit him more. But then the ninjas came for him, brought him to grandfather and... now he was here. Wherever here was.

"Talia, please do calm down..."

"Calm down?! Father, look at him! This... this is wrong!"

"I swear, daughter, this wasn't what we wanted to happen..."

Damian ignored the conversation from then, focusing on regaining his sight. When he finally did, he noticed his vision was a bit... off. Things were more in focus, like he could see movement more easily, even specs of dust floating through the room. The room... He looked around the room he was in. It was one of the dungeon rooms of grandfather's castle. Looking up, he saw his mother, looking extremely horrified, spouting incoherently at grandfather. Two ninjas stood by the door, looking ready to leap at Ra's' daughter on order.

"M-Mother...?" Damian croaked, his voice weak.

Talia and Ra's immediately stopped their argument and looked at him. Talia's eyes went wide as she lifted her hand up, covering her mouth in horror. Ra's appeared moderately surprised. By what though, Damian wondered.

"Get her out of here," Ra's ordered the ninjas, and Talia didn't resist as the ninja's dragged her out of the room, her horrified eyes not leaving her son.

"Mother!" Damian croaked, reaching his hand out to reach for her. He froze as soon as he saw his hand.

His hand was covered in black fur, and his nails... good god what happened to his nails?! They were claws, sharp claws. Damian stared in his hand in horror, before he felt a prick in his neck.

He looked up to see a ninja standing over him with a syringe, and his vision immediately started going blurry.

"Figure out what went wrong," he vaguely heard his grandfather command. "If it fails again, take more blood samples from Timothy..."

And that was the last thing Damian heard before going unconscious.

* * *

The ride back to Gotham aboard the Batplane was very quiet, save for the terrified sobs of the furry boy... elf... goblin person that Tim claimed to be Bruce's biological son and his little brother. He sat in the back with Tim and Jason, his head laying in the former's lap as Tim gently pat his head, running his fingers through his hair soothingly. Jason looked at the scene with a mixture of wonder and pity, while Dick occasionally glanced back in worry. Batman remained stoic as usual, his eyes not leaving the skyways as he approached Gotham, the cityscape lighting up the darkened skies.

Eventually, Damian's sobs turned into soft snores and he fell asleep on Tim's lap.

"Bruce..." Dick started.

"We'll figure it out," Bruce promised.

* * *

Bruce had figured it out.

As soon as they got home, the family had set up the little mobile cell that Bruce made in case any unwelcome guests came into the Batcave. It was spacious with a comfy bed, blankets, pillow, and television set. Damian spent most of the time in the cell curled up on the bed beneath all the sheets, though Tim kept him company most of the time.

Bruce took blood samples, and it didn't take long for him to confirm that the boy was in fact his and Talia's biological son. What was more difficult to explain, was why Damian suddenly looked the way he did, because according to Tim, when they first met only a week ago, the boy was completely human.

Tim had put Damian to sleep, and now stood in front of Bruce with Dick and Jason on both sides, the former bouncing anxiously as the brother waited for their father to give the news.

"Well?" Dick said. "Come on, B! You're leaving us in suspense here!"

Bruce regarded his eldest for a moment before sighing.

"Ra's was trying to replicate Tim's weather controlling abilities in Damian by injecting him with augmented DNA samples taken from Tim's blood."

Almost immediately, Tim gripped his arm, his face white. Jason noticed Tim's motion and growled in slight anger. That would explain what all the shots were for.

"Why?" Tim said quietly.

Bruce sighed. "Knowing Ra's, it was probably another attempt to cheat death. He was raising Damian as a potential replacement body when his current one expires. A more physically adept, exceptionally powerful body. We can assume Talia wasn't aware."

"How can you be sure?" Jason said, eyes narrowed.

"We ran into Talia on our way out, Jay," Tim said, looking at his brother. "You saw the look on her face when she saw Damian. It was pure terror."

"Poor kid," Dick said, eyes sad as he looked in the direction of the large cube-shaped cell. "But... why doesn't he have Tim's powers? Why's he all... fuzzy?"

"I have no idea," Bruce said honestly. "The blood samples Ra's took from Tim were biologically modified after extraction so that they would be more compatible with Damian's biological structure. But it's as if his body rewrote the quadstrand genetic makeup from Tim's blood altogether to create something totally new."

"So, I guess mom was right," Tim said, his voice soft and sad sounding. "No single power can be inherited. Just the ability to have one."

"Tim..." Bruce said, putting his hand on his son's shoulder. Tim just sighed, and gave his father a reassuring smile.

Dick and Jason both looked at their brother in worry, but upon seeing he was alright, continued on with the conversation. "So, Damian has the gift now, then. But I don't get it, Bruce. Janet could manipulate light, Tim can manipulate weather. But Damian just grew fur and pointy ears? I'm trying to make sense of this, Bruce, but it's not working."

"Dick, I'm doing my best to figure this out, really," Bruce said, obviously tired. "Janet's bloodline was always complicated. Not even she knew the full extant of it. As far as we know, this might not be the full extant of what Damian's become..."

The family all looked over at the cell wearily.

"What are we gonna do with him?" Jason finally asked.

Bruce was about to speak, but Tim beat him to it. "He can stay here."

Bruce frowned. "Tim..."

"We can't send him back to Ra's, dad," Tim all but begged. "And we definitely can't just leave him to fend for himself in such a state. He's just a little boy, dad, and he's your son. And... he's my brother. We can't just leave him."

Dick, moved by Tim's words, but a hand on the boy's shoulders and looked at Bruce. "He's right. He is family, Bruce. Plus, kid does look pretty cute. Almost like a puppy."

Jason just snorted. "You're such a dork, Dick. I'm with them, B."

Bruce looked at his boys, and sighed. "Alright. Fine. He stays. But he can't leave the manor. While I work to figure out a way to fix this, or at least understand it, he's you're responsibility. Understood."

"Whatever."

"Yup!"

"Yes, dad."

"Good. Dismissed."

* * *

Damian's new room was nice. It was was connected to Tim's by a shared sitting room that Tim used to read in privacy. The Wayne family had good taste in furniture, more spacious and homey than anything Damian was ever forced to endure while living with the League of Assassins.

The League. Damian had never felt so much hate for anyone before, and they had raised him in the five years he was alive.

And now, as he stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom, he held nothing but contempt for them.

As he grew, Talia always told him stories of his father, the amazing Dark Knight of Gotham who Talia promised he would one day follow in the footsteps of, become the perfect heir. She also spoke of his brother Timothy. A special one amongst all of humanity, wielding powers that came naturally to him. This was unique, as most superpowers, as Damian learned in his studies, were artificial in humans.

He dreamed of meeting them one day, finally getting the family he always wanted and now...

... now he couldn't even recognize himself. Timothy was kind to him as always, but his father remained in the Batcave and Damian hadn't seen him since. He was repulsed by his appearance. He was ugly. Bouts of anger and rage were all Damian displayed now. He struck out at those two idiots, the buffoons Timothy called brothers. Brothers. Damian scoffed. They were hardly worthy.

He destroyed everything around him in his tantrums, and as he looked at his furry, animal-like form, Damian felt a surge of rage build up inside and screamed in rage, shooting his clawed fist out.

The mirror shattered, and the glass fell to the floor. Breathing hard with his fists clenched, Damian glared at the mess, fangs bared, and eyes enraged.

Seconds later, his eyes filled with tears and he started sobbing, falling to his knees. He jumped slightly when he was suddenly enveloped into a hug. He looked up to see the kind, smiling face of Timothy, who cradled him and rubbed his head soothingly. The sound of his voice calmed Damian as he cried into the older boy's shoulder.

"It'll be alright, beautiful," Tim whispered. "I'll show you the way."


	11. The Woman in Purple

**Summary**: Tim is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Janet Drake, and was born a metahuman. Watch how this affects the flow of the DC Universe.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

* * *

Clare Mackenzie was a very tired woman. Sitting in the nice recliner of her apartment in East Gotham, she watched the television in silence while her little kitten, Jonesy, purred happily in her lap. Clare had lived a full life as a devoted maid and nanny to the Bouchards even after the kind couple had died. Dear Janet had been such a darling, and Clare continued to serve her even as she grew older and married that fool, Drake.

Then that horrible day came, and it made Clare's heart break just thinking of it. The armed men, the screaming, the kicking, and Timothy... Dear God that poor boy.

It had been so long since Clare had checked up on him. She would need to stop by Wayne Manor at some point and see how he was doing.

Clare was broken from her thoughts when there was a sudden knock on the door. Jonesy perked up and scampered off of his mistress' lap, going up to the door and sitting patiently like he always did whenever someone visited. Smiling at the cat's actions, Clare slowly got up from her seat, adjusting her robe as she walked to the door. Undoing the lock, she opened it, and upon seeing the person standing in the doorway, Clare felt her heart skip a beat.

A young woman stood before her, slim and quite beautiful with dark raven hair, shoulder length, and piercing blue eyes. She had smooth skin as pale as the moonlight and blood red lips sewn tightly together into a perpetual frown. She wore a dark purple dress concealed partly by a nice black fur coat. If Clare didn't know any better, she would assume she was looking at Janet, back from the dead.

"Clare Mackenzie?" the woman asked, her voice rather sharp.

"Yes?" Clare said slowly, frowning. "Can I help you?"

The woman's face remained impassive. "You would like to invite me in."

Clare froze for a moment, her expression fading into a blank visage before she gave a kind smile. However, her eyes seemed empty and unfocused. She stepped back and made room for the woman to enter.

"Yes, of course. Please come in."

Not even sparing Clare a glance, the woman walked in rather stiffly, surveying the room with narrowed eyes. Jonesy, who had scampered away behind the couch the moment the door opened, emerged into the open and looked up at the woman. The hair on his beck stood up as he hissed threateningly at the woman, not liking the scent she gave off.

The woman's head turned swiftly to glare at the cat. Her index finger twitched slightly, and Jonesy twitched in tandem before cowering, and then disappeared into one of the back rooms.

Clare closed the door, and smiled at her visitor. "How can I help you, miss?"

The woman slowly glanced at her. "You worked for the Bouchards before their deaths. They had a daughter, correct?"

"Yes," Clare said, smiling and for some reason not even hesitating to share the information. "Her name was Janet. A darling girl. She had a wonderful personality and was so very, very kind. I remember a time when-"

"She is dead, correct?" the woman interrupted rather rudely.

"Yes, that's right."

"And her child. She had a son. What was his name?"

"Timothy. Why? Did you know Ms. Janet?"

By now, the woman had turned to face Clare fully. "You will give me all the information you have on Timothy. Now."

Clare paused for a moment, her head tilting a little, before she smiled. "Of course."

Clare walked slowly to the kitchen, her movements appearing somewhat forced as she opened a drawer and pulled out multiple pieces of paper, photographs and what not. She spent the next thirty minutes organizing them all into a perfect pile, and handed them to the woman.

She took them, and on the top of the pile was a photograph of Tim. The woman took a deep breath as she looked at the photo, her finger trailing along the photo as a flurry of different emotions passed through her face before going impassive once more. Tucking the pile under her shoulder, she looked up at Clare, who was still staring off into space.

"Turn on the oven," the woman ordered.

Clare did just that.

"Stick your head inside," the woman said, and briskly walked out of the apartment.

She had just exited the lobby when the elderly couple living in the apartment next door to Clare smelled smoke, and the entire building fell into chaos as the firemen came.

* * *

**Yes, this chapter was very short and probably confused a lot of people. I had meant to post it as the final scene of the last chapter, but decided to postpone it because its meant more to be a preview to future events in the story. Things are gonna be getting a bit more serious soon.**


	12. Adapting

**Summary**: Tim is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Janet Drake, and was born a metahuman. Watch how this affects the flow of the DC Universe.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

* * *

Bruce glared at the computer monitor displaying the daily news. Mrs. Mac, the Drake family's former housekeeper and Tim's former nanny, killed herself last night and set her apartment on fire. Bruce had known Mrs. Mac. She was the epitome of kindness, a soft-spoken but gentle woman with a heart of gold. She had a peaceful life with few regrets. He had known something was wrong. As Batman, he had investigated the crime scene himself and saw the signs.

This wasn't a simple suicide.

"What did you find out, sir?" the voice of Alfred asked seriously.

Bruce sighed, turning to his butler with a hard expression. "Everything I was hoping I wouldn't find. Mrs. Mac was a kind, thoughtful woman, Alfred. She would never consider taking her own life. That's one thing. But there were clues in her apartment. Not much was touched, but I did fingerprint scans on whatever I could take. And there were witnesses who saw a woman in purple leaving the building shortly before the fire."

Alfred would have shown fear, if it weren't for the overall calm and collectiveness of his aged expression. "Purple always was her favorite color..."

Bruce snorted, before turning back to the monitor, typing.

Alfred continued to speak. "It doesn't make much sense. Miss Janet has been dead for years now, and the two were never close after it happened."

"Things can change," Bruce countered, not even turning to look at Alfred. "The may have had their differences, Alfred, but you and I both know that she still loved Janet."

"But why kill Mrs. Mackenzie? The two had never met before, and she had certainly never done anything to do her wrong," Alfred said. Bruce sighed, and turned towards Alfred with a troubled look.

It took a few moments for Alfred to understand. "Master Timothy."

Bruce nodded, turning back to the monitor as a black and white picture of two identical twin girls appeared, sporting raven black hair, piercing blue eyes, and clear pale skin. They smiled as they embraced each other, looking as happy as can be.

"If someone has lost family, they will usually stop at nothing to reconnect with the ones they still have."

* * *

"You're doing great, Damian. Just remember what Raven said. Concentrate."

Damian just grunted, waving his hands around as a fiery blue aura surrounded them. In front of his face were three wooden blocks, enshrouded in a similar energy as they floated, moving about in sync with his hand movements. The little boy had a concentrated look on his face, his yellow eyes glaring hard and his goblin-like ears twitching.

He and Tim were sitting in the Batcave, comfortably seated on the training matt, criss cross from each other. It had been only a few weeks since Tim was rescued and the latest member of the Bat Clan was introduced. He was still hostile towards the rest of his family, sans Tim, and he was somewhat tender towards his father, if not a bit nervous. He had heard many stories of the Batman from his mother in his earlier years and had dreamed of meeting him.

Just, not as a blue-skinned goblin creature.

It didn't matter what Grayson or Timothy said to cheer him up. He still felt extremely self-concious by his new appearance and didn't find it 'cute' whatsoever. He still felt an intense, burning hatred towards his mother and grandfather for putting him through this. His father was continuing to try and find a way to reverse his physical change, but so far the results had been moot.

He did manage to find some solace in bonding with his new family. A few days after he arrived, new traits of Damian's began to emerge. The family soon realized that Damian's appearance wasn't the only thing changed. Like Tim, Damian had abilities, though they were much different.

Jason had been pestering Damian... or rather Damian had been pestering him and Jason retaliated. No one was sure. Both blamed the other.

Tim honestly couldn't figure out why the two were so hostile towards each other.

Either way, the argument turned into an all-out brawl that Jason was easily gaining the upper hand in. He had Damian in a headlock, and that seemed to enrage the small assassin. With a furious cry, Damian's body suddenly glowed with fiery blue energy, which then exploded outward, knocking Jason back several feet. The second oldest Bat-son was sent careening into the large fake dinosaur, and was knocked out.

Jason was still being forced to wear a neck brace because of that.

Bruce was still looking into the nature of Damian's powers, while Tim, being the only other member of the family with powers, was helping his little brother adapt.

Like Tim, Damian's powers seemed to be based around his emotions. The boy had anger issues, definitely, and that was a clear attributing factor to the occasional... explosions his powers issued.

But with Tim's help, and a little bit from Raven's whenever Dick's friends visited, Damian was improving.

As Damian lifted the blocks, he smiled as he started to get the hang of it.

"HEY, GUYS!"

Damian jumped, his body spasming quickly as the intensity of the energy around his hands increased. Tim jumped back as the blocks suddenly exploded into, the blue energy dancing about the room. The broken pieces of the blocks sizzled with blue fire before vaporizing completely. Tim and Damian turned towards the source of the noise.

Dick smiled sheepishly. "Sorry..."

Tim just smiled. "Hi, Dick."

Turning away from Dick quickly, Damian pulled up the hood of his black hoodie, covering his face. He looked down, hands shoved into his pockets.

"Tt. Grayson," he gruffed.

"Hey, Babybat," Dick said cheekily, patting the youngest Wayne's head, eliciting a growl from the boy.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were with Roy and Kori in Steel City?" Tim asked, cocking his head.

"I came back when Bruce told me what happened," Dick explained, his face turning sympathetic. "Tim, I'm sorry about Mrs. Mac..."

Tim just looked down. "It's okay. It's... just a shock. She helped raise me and... I..."

Dick quickly took his brother in a hug. Tim squeaked in response, but fell into it. They parted, though, when Tim felt something tugging at his shirt. The two boys looked down to see Damian pulling at the hem of Tim's t-shirt.

"Timothy, you promised we would spar," he said, and Dick nearly laughed at the visible pout on the boy's face.

Tim just smiled. "Sure, Dami. Dick, would you like to join us?"

"Sure, Timmy."

Tim took three swords, tossing one to Dick and another to Damian. He kept the third, twirling it around with grace. Tim then got into a stance and waited as Damian and Dick got into stances as well. "Ready?"

"Ready."


End file.
